To Love A Butterfly
by MetaFicis
Summary: He came to me, but not for dreams. No, when he walked into my den, it was to forget. I felt the scar when I placed my hand on his back, and I knew. He was damaged beyond what mere dreams could repair. Lau x Ciel
1. Introduction

He came to me, but not for dreams. No, when he walked into my den, it was to forget. He had begun having flashbacks, memories of the trauma he tried so hard to bury and hide. But I felt the scar when I placed a hand on his back to guide him deeper into my home. I saw the flicker of uncertainty, the fear that I knew. And when I glanced down at him, he saw I had felt it and pulled away, insulting me and trying to play it off as pride. Still, I knew. He was damaged beyond what my dreams could repair.

Author notes:

This is Lau x Ciel, and using my right to play with artistic license, I have altered their interactions a bit. The story starts when they first meet and goes all the way to when Lau "tries to kill" Ciel. It's rated M for what will happen eventually in later chapters. This is my first attempt at something longer than a one shot, so any input would be appreciated. Also, I won't be updating regularly. I write it on my ipod during commute, so I have varying amounts of time to write depending on how crowded the trains are. Thank you and enjoy!


	2. Blood Cult

I wasn't the richest nobleman in China, nor in England, the strange, rainy place I came to call my temporary dwelling. But I was able to support myself, my girls and my "sister" far better than the common folk could say about their own families. I had a thriving business, and I had friends to spend time with. My favorite companion was the young Phantomhive boy. I liked to think that secretly, I was his favorite as well, among our overlapping social circles. Try as he might, he never could hide that glint of amusement when I went off on some made up theory that had no backing or end at all. Sure, he'd act angry and annoyed, but we both knew I only went on those rambling journeys for his enjoyment.

* * *

The Phantomhive was an orphan. This I learned early on, when a woman named Madame Red (an occasional customer of my own) told me of her nephew's need for less than legal assistance in solving a problem. I was intrigued, so I followed her to the Phantomhive estate. That was when I first met Sebastian. I remember it especially well, since that butler was the only man I've met who showed no interest whatsoever in my sister. Instead he glanced us over as if we were mere ants on his walkway; Insignificant, easily crushed. To say I wasn't a bit unnerved would be a lie. Madame Red had warned me about her nephew, but I had foolishly assumed she was exaggerating. She was not. When that butler opened the door to the room, I was caught more off guard than I would care to admit. Madame Red had told me her nephew was still a boy, but the eye staring at me with barely concealed boredom was that of a child! I had been expecting a young teenager, at least someone who had gone through puberty. Still, I was only shocked for a moment, before I composed myself and bowed deeply. My sister did not, though that didn't seem to bother him. I was in the middle of my introduction when he interrupted. "Save the theatrics. I've already heard quite a lot about you." The boy said with a cold, no nonsense voice. It was not the voice a child should ever have, and it sent a hidden shiver up my spine. I stood upright and to my credit, offered a smile. The boy had tea now, and was examining it closely.

"Good things, I hope," I remember answering. His eye trailed up to mine, locking me in place with a stern gaze as he brought the teacup to his lips.

"No." He replied simply once he had taken a drink. I was at a loss for words, but he saved me by speaking again. "Then again, that IS why I asked Madame Red to bring you to me." I swore I picked up a hint of amusement in his voice, entertainment that he was making me sweat.

"Ah, you'll have to forgive my young lord. He's more used to catching your kind than working with you." His butler spoke. I glanced to the boy, but he was focused on his teacup again, and showed no sign of any plans to reprimand his butler for "speaking out of turn", as I had seen so many do. This, I think, was even more intriguing than anything else, and the real cause of the events that happened in the days and years to come.

"Phantomhive, was it?" I watched him glance up at me again. "My kind? You know, I could be horribly offended by your butler's insolence." I swore I saw a smile tug at his lip corners.

"You're not. And you don't believe it's insolence either. As I have said. I've heard a lot about you." I was starting to get annoyed at his quick wit, his answer for everything. So I glanced over at my sister and put on my best grin.

"Well, I think it's unfair that you know so much about me, when I know nothing about you!" The boy paused, and I felt a twinge of victory. Then, with a near imperceptible glance to his butler, he set his teacup down on the saucer and it was taken away.

"Very well," he told me, sitting back and crossing his legs. "What would you like to know?" I thought for a moment, and what followed was a very rapid question and answer session.

"How old are you?"

"Eleven."

"How do you know so much about me?"

"I hear things." This went on for a few minutes, none of my questions throwing him for a loop. It was as if he had prepared answers for everything I may have asked. Finally I decided to strike.

"How'd you lose your eye?" I shot out. For the first time he paused, and suddenly Sebastian was at his side, looking suspiciously at me.

"My young lord does-"

"Sebastian." With that one word, the boy's butler stopped and glanced with what looked to be amusement at his master.

"Yes, my lord." He said with a bow. The boy glanced to me again.

"My family has many enemies, Lau." That was the first time he said my name, and he said it with such dismissiveness that I almost bristled. "And one night, they decided to try to kill us. I lost my eye the same way I lost my parents. Fire." I stared at him, then smirked.

"You disappeared after the fire, did you not, Ciel? Even your fiancé didn't know where you were? And then you just showed up one day with no eye, no joy and a new butler." The boy's lips expertly held back expression again.

"You said you knew nothing about me."

"You believed me." I shot back in victory. This time he didn't hide a smile, though it was less a happy one and more of a cynical smirk.

"Well, I'll have to take your words with a grain of salt in the future. Now, if you're finished, I do believe you came here because I'm in need of your assistance?"

* * *

The next few weeks were spent working with the Phantomhive boy on catching members of a blood drinking cult. Well, that was what I was paid for. When I look back I think I was spending more time trying to get Ciel to "smile" again. It became a kind of obsession, matched only by my desire to understand the boy's relationship with his butler. I often found myself wandering the halls of his manor, alone or with my sister. Sometimes we would run into the other members of his staff: a cook, a maid and a gardener, but most of the time we were undisturbed. I began to realize I rarely saw Ciel without Sebastian and when I did, the butler never seemed far away. He appeared to be the perfect servant, though he denied it, insisting he was merely "one hell of one". I noticed whenever he did and Ciel was within earshot, the boy would roll his eye as if it was some stupid joke. I prided myself in being exceptionally observant, and quickly picked up on the fact that the maid seemed to be very infatuated with Sebastian, to the point where her duties would suffer if he was in the room. So I began talking to her about this and that, gaining her trust before finally asking about what had been burning at my curiosity since the beginning. "So, Mey-Rin, you spend a lot of time with Sebastian, don't you?" Immediately her face turned red, as it did whenever someone talked about him. She nodded. "I'm curious. What can you tell me about him?" The woman all but swooned at an invitation to talk about the butler.

"Oh sir, he's amazing! No matter what happens he can always fix it! And he does it with such grace! He's always taking such good care of the young master too!" She went on for almost an hour, and while I didn't learn exactly what I had wanted to know, I did realize that if she was right, Sebastian never made mistakes.

From that moment, I began testing him. I "accidentally" knocked Ciel's cane out from his hand, and Sebastian both caught it and steadied the boy without trouble. I bumped into the maid when she was serving tea and Sebastian came out of no where, not only catching the spill on a napkin, but doing so with a mere flick of his wrist. I had to admit, the girl was right; Sebastian was by all accounts infallible. I had thought I was being sneaky, but on the third day of trying to make Sebastian fail, I entered the room my sister and I were sharing, and the door slammed shut behind me.

"You know, you could have just asked." Sebastian said, and though there was no cruelty or anger in his voice, I felt a flash of fear.

"Asked what?" I managed out, wondering if I could get to my sword before he did... Something.

"If I made mistakes. Yes, I do. But none that you will ever bear witness to. And should you cause me to make a mistake..." He still had no real danger in his voice, and yet I knew what he was implying. At that moment, my sister entered the room, glancing between the two of us silently. She was a quiet girl, but the glance carried a silent question of what was going on. "I'm sorry for intruding in your room, Madame." The butler smiled warmly and left. I decided I would stop trying to make him mess up, at least for now.

* * *

Around that time in our investigation, with more bodies piling up, we found it necessary to pay a visit to the undertaker. I myself hadn't yet dealt with him, but his reputation as an insane but skilled man was no stranger to my ears. We took a carriage into the city, Sebastian driving. I used that opportunity to try and make Ciel smile again. "So, young earl, how are you today?" I asked, shifting my sister slightly. She was sitting in my lap as usual. She enjoyed the comfort it brought her.

"I'll be better when we're through with our meeting with the undertaker." The boy's voice rarely differed from a cold dismissive tone, but I swore I heard a hint of unease.

"Why, you wouldn't possibly be SCARED of this man, would you?" I couldn't help but tease him, though he took it in stride.

"I fear nothing, I have no reason to."

"And why is that?"

"Because I have a purpose in life, and until I fulfill that, there is no way I could possibly allow myself to die." My brow arched.

"That's a very adult thing to say, for someone so young." His eye narrowed at me. He hated his young age being brought up, which was of course why I did it.

"And what do you mean by that, exactly?"

"Nothing, nothing. It's just that most adults don't even know what their purpose is, and yet you do. It's very... Wise." He seemed satisfied with that answer, but I wasn't finished. "But also completely foolish. What makes you think life will just let YOU decide when to die? What makes you so special that you think... Who do all you Englishman worship? God? What makes you so sure your God will allow you to complete your purpose?" Ciel looked surprised. I guess no one had ever questioned him like that before. Quickly though he changed his expression to a smug kind of smirk.

"My reasons, if you must know, have absolutely nothing to do with God, Lau." He said, casting his eye to me again. I had begun enjoying those glances, those rare moments when he acknowledged me as more than just a voice in his ear.

"Then what?" I pressed. Just as he opened his mouth to answer though, the carriage stopped and Sebastian was opening the door.

"We've arrived, my lord." I caught a look between them as the boy was helped out of the carriage and it surprised me how much meaning was in it. Once again I was curious. Half tempted to test Sebastian's skills again, I decided against it and instead nudged my sister off my lap and climbed out after her.

"Well, certainly looks like the kind of place an undertaker would call home," I mused to no one in particular. "Though not very unnerving, unless you're a child of course." Seeing Ciel tense and glare at me sent a jolt of amusement through my body and I grinned innocently in response. He scoffed and made for the door, Sebastian holding it open for everyone.

"Undertaker!" The boy called out. It was quiet for a few seconds, and then a sudden bang made me jump. I was certain I saw Ciel jump too. We turned to see one of the coffins slowly opening, and when it had opened enough, a man stepped out.

"What's this? New friends to play with?" He asked with a breathy, scratchy voice as if he was trying not to laugh. I was surprised at how different he seemed from what I had expected. He had gray hair but didn't look old at all, and with the way it fell over his eyes, his eerily wide smile and his outfit, I had to admit I could see why Ciel was uneasy. My own unease was not soothed when the man spoke again. "No, not yet it seems. Though, maybe one day if I'm lucky, I'll make friends out of you yet." He chuckled at his own joke. At least I thought it was a chuckle.

"Undertaker, we need to see the bodies of the men from the port district, the ones who-" Ciel was silenced by a finger to his lips, and I caught my first glimpse of the undertaker's claw like nails, causing a shiver to snake up my spine.

"Young earl! I thought I recognized your voice! How are you?" I couldn't help but chuckle silently at how the boy stepped back quickly, licking at his lips.

"I'm fine. Now, please, the bodies-" Once more he was cut off as the undertaker turned to me and my sister.

"You're new to my little house of friends, aren't you?" I took a step back in surprise, though my sister didn't budge.

"Yes, I'm helping earl Phantomhive with his case. My name is-"

"I know who you are, dream seller. My friends tell many stories." I blinked in surprise. Dream seller? That was a new one, though I liked it a lot. It had a fairy tale ring to it.

"Ah, well, it's nice to meet you." The undertaker giggled at my response and finally turned back to the boy.

"You know my price, young earl. Who will pay it today?"

"Sebastian will, as always." Sebastian nodded and stepped forward.

"My lord?" Ciel turned toward the door.

"Come, Lau. We can't be in here for this." He said sternly, not bothering to wait and see if I would follow, though of course I did.

"What is this payment that we can't witness?" I asked as the door closed behind us. "You know my life, I'm not opposed to illegal dealings." The boy shook his head.

"It's not that, it's-" His reply was lost in the noise of a sudden, roaring laughter coming from inside. It was so loud I swear it shook the windows. As it died down, I smiled.

"Well, looks like he didn't like the payment?" But Ciel was already going inside.

"No, he accepted it." I followed the boy, where I saw Sebastian standing above a still giggling undertaker. The clawed man appeared to have been crying with laughter, and he shook as he stood.

"Oh, that was a hell of a joke!" Giggling again, the man dusted his clothing off and crooked a finger so we'd follow him.

"The payment is... Laughter?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well, my friends don't have the best humor." The undertaker answered casually.

"Ah. Makes sense, I guess." He led us through to a separate room, where four bodies were laid out on beds of metal. For the next hour or so we worked examining the bodies, something none of us seemed to have any problems with, though I did notice that the boy's eye constantly shifted to the symbols carved into each man's chest. "You seem awfully fixated on some satanic scribbles, young earl." I mused, more teasing than probing, though from that moment, I could see him making a conscious effort not to stare at the marks.

* * *

"Sebastian," Ciel caught his butler's attention as we were leaving, and they once more shared a glance.

"Of course, my lord. I'll begin as soon as we return home." I chuckled.

"Have you ever talked to a pair of twins, young earl?" I asked as we climbed into the carriage. He looked at me with a raised brow. "It's just that they seem to know what the other is thinking without it being said. You and Sebastian remind me of that. It's like you share some other worldly bond." I saw the boy's face twitch slightly.

"He's a good butler. I expect nothing but the best for the Phantomhive household." He replied smoothly. It seemed rehearsed, and my curiosity was taken up a notch. As I wrapped my arms around my sister's waist and the carriage began to move, I vowed to figure out what was going on between the boy and his butler.

* * *

"We're getting close." Ciel told me, around the third week of our investigation. "I think it's time for us to think about making a move on them." We were sitting in his garden, Sebastian not far away as usual.

"Well that's a wonderful plan, but we still don't know where they live or do the killings." The boy glanced over to his butler.

"Sebastian! It's time for you to go find where they are hiding. And remember, we need to bring the police there." Sebastian bowed low and left to go inside.

"You're sending your butler to go track down a cult?" I asked with surprise.

"Of course. There's no one else I can trust with the job." We sat and talked for a few more minutes, and then all of a sudden my sister jumped to her feet.

"What is it?" I asked. She looked around and took off toward the mansion.

"What's going on with her?" The boy asked, looking out of the corner of his eye at our surroundings. I did the same.

"She must have heard something. I suggest we get inside, since if Ran Mao thinks it warrants investigating, it's bad." We stood, and had barely taken one step when men in masks rushed us. I have to admit, what surprised me wasn't being rushed, it was how Ciel cried out in fear. It was such a guttural, instinctual fear in his voice, evidence of some buried memories. That, I think, was why I didn't fight back in time to avoid the hit to the back of my head. As I passed out, I watched them do the same to the boy.

* * *

"Wake up..." I heard a stern, cold voice. My first thought was it belonged to our abductors. When I opened my eyes, however, I saw only Ciel.

"You know, you should really talk more kindly. I thought you were one of the kidnappers. I was about to try and kill you." I grunted as I sat up. We were tied to posts in an old warehouse.

"You don't honestly believe this is a kidnapping, do you?" The boy scoffed. I sighed and shook my head.

"No, I don't. This is more getting the investigators out of the way." Ciel nodded and sighed. "Don't be scared," I soothed. "I'm actually a pretty good fighter, I'll try to overpower them when they come for-"

"I'm not scared. I told you, I won't die." I stared at him, then shook my head.

"Well, if they delay long enough, we'll be found. No doubt my sister is already on her way." I saw Ciel smirk.

"Well she better hurry, I'm sure Sebastian's already here." I looked at him, confused.

"How could he be here? He was out searching for this place and there's no way he could have found it so soon. And he's just a butler! What is he going to do against an entire cult? Polish their plates until they let us go?" The boy just smirked wider. "Okay, fine. How about a friendly bet. If Sebastian saves us, I'll stop calling you a child. But if Ran-Mao saves us... You have to smile for me." I grinned.

"And if neither saves us?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Nope, that won't happen. One of them will come. So do we have a deal?" After a moment, the boy nodded.

"Indeed we do. Best to get all your jokes about my age out now, you'll never use them again soon." I scoffed.

"Do you even remember how to smile? You should practice." We sat bantering for a few more minutes. "The reason you don't think you'll die. It's Sebastian, isn't it?" I asked finally. He nodded. "You really trust him, don't you?"

"Why? You don't?"

"No, it's not that. I'm just trying to figure this all out." The boy eyed me curiously.

"What do you mean by that?" Before I could answer, I heard a scream.

"Did you hear that?" The boy rolled his eye.

"Of course I heard it, I'm here too." There was another scream, and then shouting and the sounds of footsteps.

"Looks like Ran Mao is here." I said. The boy shook his head.

"No, that's Sebastian." I began to laugh.

"Sebastian? That doesn't sound like a butler serving them so much tea they burst. Sounds more like a... A tiger, loose on the world." There was a crash and more screams and shouts. The door burst open, more masked people running in, holding guns and knives. They surrounded us, two of them putting knives to our throats. The screams were getting closer, the men surrounding us visibly scared even beneath their masks. A man running toward the door was grabbed and we could hear his screams of agony, abruptly cut short. His body was flung into the room. Finally, we saw our savior. Stepping through the door was Sebastian. At the same time, however, Ran Mao stepped in from the other direction.

"My lord, are you hurt?" Sebastian asked as Ran Mao and I exchanged a silent question about our health.

"I'm fine." Our two saviors made to take steps forward, but the knives were pressed tighter against our throats and they stopped. The cult members began threatening to kill us if Sebastian and Ran Mao didn't leave immediately.

"Before we get to the whole hostage negotiation, I have a question." I said abruptly, interrupting one of the cult members, no doubt stunning them into silence with my lack of fear. "Sebastian, Ran Mao, which one of you got to us first?" Both of them raised their hands.

"Which one got to the warehouse first?" Ciel asked.

"Actually, my lord, we arrived at the same time."

"Ah, that explains how you got through. Ran Mao made a path for you." I looked smugly at Ciel, but the boy was smirking.

"I'm surprised, Sebastian. Being matched by her." The butler nodded.

"Indeed, we would do well to avoid any fights with the young lady. It might prove troublesome. Now, if you don't mind we must get going. I have dinner to prepare. I have never been late getting dinner on the table, I won't start now." My brow arched. Was this man really trying to imply he could hold his own against Ran Mao? I was about to scoff again when the butler struck, lashing his hand out. Knives flew from between his fingers, hitting the ropes holding us. They snapped and Ran Mao took the opportunity to launch herself forward. She flew through the air, her knees crushing into the face of the man above me. The knife dropped and I grabbed Ciel, pulling him away from the fighting. The rest was over quickly, Sebastian and Ran Mao dispatching the cult members with ease. When the last one had fallen, Sebastian made his way over to us, staring down at me. I was still holding Ciel, my body shielding his from any injury. "Well, it seems you have witnessed a mistake." The butler said as he knelt and took Ciel from my arms.

"I don't-" The boy cut me off.

"The only mistake Sebastian has ever made is not keeping me from getting kidnapped." He said calmly, casually wiping some splattered blood off on my sleeve. "Where's my eye-patch, Sebastian?" The butler set Ciel down and nudged bodies aside until he found it, though it was covered in blood. "Hmph. Let's just hurry home so I can get one on." As the boy turned to the door, his legs gave out and he fell. Sebastian and I both jerked forward to catch him. I thrust my arms under his shoulders, Sebastian got his hips, and in that moment the boy's hair slid to the side, revealing two wide eyes. I stared down at him in shock, but before I could register if what I saw was really what was there, he was yanked from my arms and held tight by his butler, hiding his face in the tall man's chest like a scared child.

"My apologies, but the young master does not like being seen without his eye patch." I was silent for a moment, trying to process what I had just seen, or thought I saw.

"That... that's fine. I understand. We all have scars we'd prefer not to see. Well, I guess that's that." I wasn't as shocked as I should have been about Sebastian's skills as a fighter, though it was an excellent reason for Ciel to not be afraid. Comparable to my Ran Mao. I was more focused on that flash of purple I saw when we locked eyes. There was something horribly wrong about purple as an eye color. Perhaps it was a mutation? And he was ashamed of it? But... that didn't seem to fully answer all the questions. Still, my job was finished and I resigned myself to never knowing.

"Yes. We'll send you your payment, along with your things. Good bye." I gave an exaggerated bow and to my surprise, my sister actually acknowledged Sebastian with a respectful nod. And then we parted ways.


	3. Whitechappel Demon Part One

It was a few months later when I woke to find a letter addressed from the Phantomhive manor. I won't deny my heart skipped a beat with excitement as I tore the letter open to read its contents. It was a request for assistance in another case, and a question of if I knew any others of not so good company to bring along. I knew a few, so I arranged for them to meet me outside the gates of the Phantomhive estate. I didn't brief them on Ciel and his butler, curious as to how they'd react to him, and how he would react to them. At the door we were greeted by Sebastian, and to my surprise he seemed to look at me with a reluctant respect. Of course the rest of them got the mere bug stare.

"That butler's creepy..." One of my acquaintances muttered.

"Oh please. He's a butler! What's he going to do? Take our coats and never give them back?" Another snorted. I hid a smirk by turning to follow Sebastian. We were led to a sitting room where Ciel waited. My acquaintances paused and stared with shock.

"What? He's just a little kid! Lau, is this some joke? This can't be the great earl you were talking about!" Ciel calmly leveled his eye on the one talking and stayed silent until he shut up. I knew how well that look could silence anyone. Then he turned that eye to me.

"Great earl, huh, Lau? I'm flattered." He said emotionlessly. I smirked back.

"Well of course I had to hype you up. No one would have come if I had told them they'd be working under a child." Ciel glared for a moment then turned to my companions.

"My name is Ciel Phantomhive, heir to the Phantomhive estate and queen's personal go to for problems that threaten her kingdom." I had seen him introduce himself like this before, and it never stopped being amusing to see a child speak with such self importance. My fellow men however didn't find it funny, and nodded numbly. "Now that we've established that I am in fact your employer, shall we go over what I need to hire you for?" We were told about a drug being distributed that caused extreme aggression and death in even small doses. I had been looking into getting rid of the seller myself, since it was getting in the way of my business, and now I got to do it with my favorite mystery. It was like an early Christmas present. "So, you all have access to the poor and drug addicted, try to learn anything you can find out about who's selling these drugs. And Lau? A word, before you leave?"

* * *

Sebastian escorted the others out, leaving Ciel, Ran Mao and I alone. I was half tempted to run over and rip his eye patch off, confirm what had been nagging at me and haunting my thoughts since we parted ways. "Do you trust these friends of yours?" The boy asked before I could make up my mind.

"I trust they'll work so long as you keep paying them. But should they find someone who pays more, they won't hesitate to abandon this." Ciel nodded.

"And you? If you found a better paying job? Would you leave?" I could have sworn I heard a bit of worry in his voice, but his expression didn't change, so I couldn't have been sure.

"And risk not figuring you out? Not a chance. Besides. You still owe me a smile." I studied his face intently, hoping to see some flicker of emotion other than smug. But he smirked and I resigned myself to trying again later.

"So sorry, but you called me a child, so I don't think I shall be smiling for you any time soon. I want you to collect any information your friends discover and bring it to me once a week. I don't think I need to explain that people want me dead, and from what you told me, someone might decide to pay one of them to do it. I refuse to take that risk."

"What? Doubt your magic butler?" I teased.

"Not at all. It's just my home has been burnt down once already, I don't wish to see it destroyed again." I nodded and once more gave an exaggerated bow. Then Sebastian was there, ready to escort Ran Mao and I out.

* * *

By next week we had already compiled a sizable amount of information, enough that I didn't even need an excuse to appear excited as the maid escorted me to one of the many rooms in the manor. This time Ciel was sitting at a chess board, seeming to be playing against himself. "I hope you came with good news. It seems my status as an earl greatly hampers my ability to gather my own information." He muttered, almost pouting like a child. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Where's your magic butler?" I asked, handing him the stack of pages that compiled all of the things my companions and I had learned so far.

"Making lunch. For one," he said, making it clear I would not be invited to stay longer than I was needed. It disappointed me, but I didn't let that show and instead sat down across from him, on the black side, casually moving a piece while he wasn't looking.

"Check," I bragged. Ciel paused and looked up and I saw his eye dart around the board.

"What are you talking about? There's no check." I grinned wide.

"No? Are you sure?"

"Yes." I pretended to examine the board for a moment.

"Huh, you're right. I'm sorry, chess is a game I'm not yet fully familiar with." The boy glared at me and returned to the papers.

"Move the rook back to its original spot. And move the bishop diagonally left 5. Then it will be check." He muttered without looking up. I grinned again, doing as he said.

"Check!" The boy calmly reached and moved one of his own pieces, never tearing his eye from the papers in his lap.

"Check mate. I win."

"Hey! I thought you were helping me, not setting yourself up to win!"

"You believed me." Finally Ciel looked up again with another smirk. This one was different though. It was less smug and more playful, challenging even. I chuckled.

"Very well played. Though I expect nothing less from you, young earl. So, what do you make of the information we gathered?"

"Well first of all, your penmanship is horrid. Do you understand how troublesome it is to translate scribbles?" Laughing, I reached and snatched the papers from his hands.

"Should I read them to you? Maybe as a bed time story?" The boy glared and grabbed at the papers again, though I was easily able to keep them away. After a few tries he leaned back and seemed to pout.

"Fine, read it! But hurry up, it's almost lunch time." I was still laughing as I began to read to the boy what my notes said.

"Victims are all young women. Most of them have had miscarriages in the past few weeks prior to purchase of the drug. We couldn't find who sold it, but the majority of the women had made trips to the Whitechapel district of London before their deaths. In case you don't know, that's the area where all the... Loose women gather." Ciel raised his brow and looked at me as if I had just broke into baby talk.

"You mean the prostitutes? I'm not a child, as much as you like to think I am. I know what a prostitute is. What else do you have?" The rest of the information was quickly reviewed, and as if on cue, the moment it seemed we were finished, Sebastian showed up.

"Lunch is ready, my lord." He announced.

"Finally..." Ciel stood up and went to grab his cane. I had stolen it five minutes prior however, and held it up for him.

"Here you are." I think he was expecting me to play keep away again, for he snatched the cane up quickly.

"Sebastian will lead you out. Come back next week." When he was halfway out the door, I called to him. A thought had just crossed my mind.

"Young earl!" Ciel paused, though didn't turn around. "If I beat you at chess... Will you tell me more about when you went missing?" I thought for a moment I had made a grave error, as the boy visibly tensed and turned to Sebastian. I half expected him to demand his butler kill me or at least throw me out and never allow me back in. I was about to say I was kidding when I realized why they were looking at each other. They were doing one of their silent communication things again. Finally Ciel turned to me.

"No. However, if you prove yourself loyal... I might consider it." Then he was gone, and Sebastian was staring intently at me. It was like he was looking right into my soul. I stood and made my way past him. He followed me, not to the doors of the manor this time, but all the way to the gates before turning back.

* * *

As the information continued to be collected about the case, so did my curiosity grow about Ciel. It was almost insatiable, and when I next saw Madame Red, I asked her about him.

"There's not much else I can tell you, Lau. He's my nephew, not my brother. My sister and I weren't exactly close toward the end. I rarely saw any of them."

"Well, if you know anyone who might have any idea..." She gave me an odd look.

"Honestly, I think you should drop it, forget about your questions. Death follows that boy like a loyal dog." Though I tried to question her further, the woman offered no more information, and soon we had to part ways. I did learn that Ciel's birthday was coming up though, and even though I was sure the boy would never give me a gift for my own, I decided to get him something. I probably spent more time trying to find the perfect present for him than I did actually working on the job he had given me. Maybe it was in hopes of gaining his favor, maybe it was an excuse to see him again, but for that short time, getting him something became the most important thing in my life.

* * *

The next week when I arrived to deliver the most recent information, I also carried a few packages wrapped with silk. Being a Chinese nobleman had its perks. I got Chinese imported goods at a very nice discount. It also helped that the particular silk seller was also a client of mine. As was customary, Sebastian led me to Ciel, eying the packages curiously but saying nothing. "Good afternoon, young earl!" I grinned when Sebastian opened the door and let me in. It looked to be his office I was brought to this time. He was sitting at a desk that seemed comically over-sized for him, apparently writing a letter of some sort.

"Do we have any new information or just another set of the same stuff we already know written differently?" He asked without looking up.

"Well why don't you look for yourself. I tried to write neater this time." When the boy finally looked up, he blinked in surprise. Instead of the file, I was holding out one of the packages. "What's this?" He asked.

"A little red birdie told me your birthday was this week, young earl. So I got you a few things." Ciel eyed me as Sebastian had, warily taking the package I was holding and setting it down to open. Inside was, in my opinion, a beautiful cloak. The fabric was thick and dark, perfect for the colder months, and had a large blue ribbon as the tie, as well as a silver clasp connecting the two sides. He unfolded the cloak and examined it, then wordlessly set it to the side and picked up the second package. It was a dart set, with six ivory tipped darts sized for a child, a lovely white porcelain holder for them and a board of the highest quality, framed in gold, like a mirror. "One of my... Friends lost his eye too. He said playing games like darts helps perfect hand eye co-ordination. Thought you could use it. I noticed you're hesitant when you reach for things..." The boy frowned and pushed my gifts to the side.

"I hope you did more this week than go shopping, Lau." He said, though his voice had a softer tone to it than before. A kinder one. I grinned.

"For my final present, here!" I handed him the file. "And you're welcome, by the way." Ciel waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and began to pour through the file. I sat in silence until he paused and looked up.

"What's this here? Someone saw one of the women talking to someone over by the Whitechapel district? Why is there no further information here?" He asked. I took the pages back to see what he was talking about.

"Ah, well, that man's a useless witness. He claims the woman was talking to a demon." Ciel tensed visibly again and grabbed the file.

"Thank you, Lau, you can see yourself out. Sebastian and I have something to discuss." I was so surprised at his sudden change in attitude that I didn't protest and left, Sebastian hurrying in behind me. I was halfway down the hall when I realized I didn't actually know how to get out, since this was a new area of the house for me. So I made my way back to the door, where I could hear Sebastian and Ciel talking. I've never been above eves-dropping, so I didn't make my return known immediately. "... Demon, would you know?" I heard Ciel ask. Sebastian talked too quietly for me to hear his response however. "Well then what could it be? ... I'll have them ask for the specific reason he called it a demon... What if it is, though? If you saw the bodies would you be able to tell if it was? ... Well what help are you then? Wait, what about the contract? If they made them, wouldn't-" I could hear the boy getting agitated. Apparently Sebastian wasn't giving him the information he wanted. At that moment I shifted and the boards creaked beneath me. There went my hope of finding out more. I quickly knocked on the door and grinned wide when Sebastian opened it.

"I got lost. This is truly a maze of corridors, young earl." Ciel was sitting at his desk, busy adjusting his eye patch.

"Sebastian, escort him out. And Lau, we're visiting the undertaker tomorrow, I want you to come. Meet us there at no later than 11 in the morning. And tell whoever talked to the man to ask him why he thinks he saw a demon." I nodded and bowed deeply, allowing Sebastian to lead me away.

"It's funny, I never imagined the young earl as particularly religious... But he practically jumped out of his skin when I mentioned demon. As if he thought they were real." I chuckled, hoping to get a reaction out of Sebastian. But he just glanced at me, and stayed silent the entire time he led me to the gate.

* * *

The next day Ran-Mao and I met Ciel at the undertaker's like he had requested. It was cold and rainy, two things I hated. My sister and I were practically tangled together as we waited, since I had insisted on getting there a few hours early. I wanted to be seen as an obedient worker after all. If I had any hope of getting the full story out of Ciel, I needed to gain his trust. When Sebastian guided the carriage to a stop in front of the undertaker's shop and opened the door for Ciel, I felt a rush of joy. The boy was wearing the cloak I had gotten him. "Don't get too happy, Lau." Ciel said, as if able to tell how I was feeling. "My gardener ripped my GOOD cloak and there wasn't enough time to repair it. I can assure you, I won't be wearing this again after today." Still, I grinned wide.

"I'm sure you'll change your mind about that, young earl. Why, soon I bet you'll be wearing it every time you go outside." Ciel scoffed and pushed past me to go through the door held open by Sebastian.

"Undertaker! We-" He paused when he saw the state of the room. Coffins were littered everywhere and various lights were knocked over. Glass beakers lay cracked and shattered all along the floor. Quickly Sebastian pushed Ciel from the store and entered alone. We hadn't been out for more than a few minutes when we heard a familiar voice behind us.

"Young earl! How are you today? Where's your lovely butler?" The undertaker crooned out. Jumping with shock, Ciel spun around.

"Undertaker! We thought you were inside. Your store..."

"Yes, it seems someone has stolen my friends. I woke to find them gone this morning."

"Did you tell the police?" The undertaker shrugged.

"They can't have gotten far. When you find them, won't you return them to me?" It was then that Sebastian opened the door again.

"Ah, there you are, undertaker. I had a feeling you weren't abducted." He said calmly before turning to Ciel. "I'll start tracking the bodies as soon as we get you out of the cold, my lord." Seeing my chance, I spoke up.

"I can get him back. Ran-Mao, you can drive this kind of carriage, can't you?" My sister nodded and without a word turned and climbed up into the driving seat. Sebastian glanced at Ciel, who sighed and nodded.

"Very well. We need those bodies. Sebastian, Lau will escort me home, you go tracking." The butler bowed deeply and walked off, leaving Ciel, the undertaker and I alone on the street.

"Do be careful with my friends when you find them, young earl. And tell your butler he's welcome any time. I love his jokes." The undertaker giggled before heading inside.

"Well, shall we get going? Wouldn't want you falling ill, would we?" I offered Ciel my arm so he could get in the carriage easier, as I had seen Sebastian do, but the boy ignored it and climbed in without my help. I followed and once the door was closed, Ran-Mao started the carriage. "So... Do you need me to come back tomorrow as well?" I asked hopefully after a few minutes of silence. Ciel was looking out the window, legs crossed, chin propped up by a hand. He glanced toward me for a moment then returned to the window.

"I don't see any reason why. However, should I need you, you'll know." I nodded and settled down. I felt cold without Ran-Mao in my lap, and found myself wondering how warm Ciel would be. Scolding myself for thinking about a child like that, I tried to distract myself with some other ideas.

"Young earl, I-"

"Why do you call me young earl?" Ciel suddenly asked, interrupting me.

"Well because-"

"You and the undertaker are the only two people I know who call me young earl. Everyone else calls me Earl Phantomhive, or the Queen's guard dog." I began to laugh, which apparently annoyed him. "Why are you laughing?" He snapped.

"You'd prefer being called a dog over being called young? Honestly, young earl, your priorities baffle me. Especially since I think you're more mature than many adults. Why, I know for a fact you're more mature than I am..."

"Yet you still call me young?" I stared at him for a minute, trying to figure out where this was coming from.

"Would you prefer I called you a dog?"

"Of course not! But-" "Then I'll keep calling you young earl!" Grinning like a fool, I leaned back, Ciel glaring at me for a moment before returning his attention to the window.

"What were you going to say before?" He asked reluctantly. I paused.

"I don't remember. All this talk about dogs and children has made me forget." That earned another glare, but I didn't miss the amusement sparkling in the boy's eye.

* * *

When we arrived at the Phantomhive Estate, I darted out first to help Ciel, though once more he refused to allow me to assist him in exiting the carriage. "Would you like us to stay until Sebastian returns?" I asked, hoping he would say yes. After a moment of consideration, to my delight, Ciel nodded.

"Yes, I think you should." As Ran-Mao joined my side, I noticed Ciel staring intently at her.

"What is it, young Earl? You're not developing feelings for my sister, are you?" Ciel, to his credit, only reddened slightly, so that if he wasn't so pale it would have been impossible to tell.

"No! I'm just wondering how she was able to match Sebastian." I chuckled.

"I'm surprised your magic butler matched her. Most butlers don't double as killers... Especially not efficient ones." Gently petting my sister's head proudly, I smiled at her. "Ran-Mao is my wonderful tiger. Vicious to my enemies, but for me, she purrs." Ciel scoffed.

"Let's just get inside so I can get this heavy cloak off..."

* * *

I stayed with Ciel for a few hours, and during that time I explored the manor further while he worked in his office. I was intrigued to discover that in all the places I explored, the only evidence of his parents was the large portrait hanging at the stairs. It made me a little sad. I happened to be at the window when Sebastian arrived, thankfully in my sister and I's carriage. Deciding that there would be no point in finding Ciel to say good bye, we just left.

"Do you think Sebastian would be a worthy opponent?" I asked Ran Mao as she climbed into the driving seat and I sat beside her. She thought for a moment then shrugged.

"If it was just a casual fight, no. But if we were to threaten his master..." She said slowly. I nodded and settled back.

"I don't think I'd ever threaten Ciel anyway. He's too much fun, and I have so many questions still." As she began driving us home, I began thinking about the mysterious young earl again.


	4. Whitechappel Demon Part Two

The next week, a few days before I was supposed to travel to see Ciel again, two things happened that caused me to make an early visit. The first was that the day prior, I had received very important information about the case. The second was a delivery I received. I was enjoying time with my sister, sampling a new delivery of product, when one of my girls came in with a box. Upon opening it I discovered a note that merely read, "I hate debts." The only reason I knew it was from Ciel was his insignia on the top of the paper. Along with the note, there was an oddly shaped object wrapped in cloth. So, my interest piqued, I eagerly unrolled the cloth to find a beautiful pipe. It was brown, capped with gold on either side, and an amazingly intricate golden dragon snaking around the middle. I wasted no time testing it, amused to find the smoke drifted from the dragon's mouth.

"Ran-Mao, I think we should pay the young Earl a visit today." I said once I had finished. She nodded silently and went to prepare our carriage.

* * *

When we pulled up to the Phantomhive estate, I wasn't at all surprised to see Sebastian already opening the door. "I have some very important information related to the case. Is the young Earl available?" I asked. He hesitated.

"My master is currently with his fiancé, but I'm sure he could leave her for a few minutes." I nodded and Sebastian led us to what seemed to be the dining room.

"Hello, young Earl." I bowed when I saw the boy, who seemed relieved to see me. Beside him was a young girl around his age, with full, bouncy pigtails and wearing far too many layers. "And you must be his fiancé. It's a pleasure to meet you." The girl smiled.

"Hello! I'm Elizabeth Midford! Oh wow! I love your hair!" She hurried to Ran Mao as I made my way to Ciel.

"Young Earl, I have information about the case..." The boy nodded and stood.

"Come on then, while she's distracted." He led me through a door to a sitting room. "What is this information?"

"Well, first of all, thank you for the lovely pipe. It is truly beautiful. And it works excellently! One of the best I've ever used." Ciel glared at me.

"That has nothing to do with the case. What information, Lau? Tell me." He ordered. I hummed.

"Fine, fine. What I found out yesterday is that the man who saw the demon is dead. He was killed the day after he talked about what he saw. And no one saw who killed him."

"How troublesome..." Ciel went quiet. "Lau, what do you think when you hear the word demon?" He asked after a minute.

"Hm... Well, I think of the traditional Chinese demons. Though an Englishman would probably call someone with horns and bat wings, perhaps a pointed tail, a demon." Ciel nodded and sighed.

"And on top of that, Sebastian hasn't found the bodies... This investigation is going no where..." I shrugged.

"I noticed something while going over the information gathered, though. In the first week, there were four deaths, and of those four, the women attacked upwards of five people each before dying. So it was well known when someone was under the influence of the drug. However, it's now been just under a month since then, and there have been no new cases. What if whoever has been doing the selling has stopped?" Ciel frowned.

"That is certainly a possibility... Keep investigating for now. I'd feel better if we could guarantee it doesn't happen again somewhere else." Nodding, I smiled and looked out the window. It was beginning to snow.

"You know, there's a festival next week? Ran Mao and I are going. You should too." I mused. Ciel looked at me like I was crazy.

"A festival? Why on earth would I do that?" He asked.

"Well, because it's fun, and if the common folk see you out and about they might think you're easier to approach. That would make getting information easier in the future." Grumbling, the boy shook his head.

"I'll consider it... Now I should return to Elizabeth before she gets impatient." We returned to the dining room, and Ciel stopped in his tracks at the sight of Elizabeth sitting at the table, with Ran Mao doing her best to braid the girl's hair in a fashion similar to her own.

"Ciel look! Don't I look so exotic?" The girl squealed.

"It's uh... Certainly different..." Ciel forced out, and I chuckled. It was amusing seeing the boy flustered for once.

"You two should stay for lunch!" I was about to refuse, thinking Ciel would protest, but to my surprise the boy looked at me pleadingly.

"Well, how can I refuse the request of such a nice young girl?" I smiled and sat down at the head of the table, much to Ciel's obvious annoyance.

"Should I prepare lunch for four, my lord?" Sebastian asked as he poked his head in, barely blinking at the sight of Elizabeth's hair done up in braids like it was.

"Yes. And bring us more tea. Earl gray." Bowing, Sebastian departed again.

"I just realized, I didn't introduce us. My name is Lau, this is my sister, Ran Mao." Ran Mao nodded down at Elizabeth as she continued with her work, now twisting sections of the girl's hair into pointed buns.

"It's lovely to meet you both! How do you know Ciel?" The boy glared at me when Elizabeth wasn't looking, silently warning me to choose my words carefully.

"Ah, well, I manage the Phantomhive factories in Asia." I lied.

"Oh wow! You manage all of them? That's impressive!" Ciel sighed and began fiddling with his ring.

"Young Earl, while Ran Mao and Lady Midford are busy, why don't we play a game of chess?" The boy scoffed.

"I enjoy challenges, Lau." I laughed and stood up, going over to the chess board.

"Very well, I'll just play myself." As I began setting up the pieces, Ciel watched. Finally he groaned and stood up.

"You're doing it all wrong. Let me do it." I happily stepped to the side to allow him room. He rearranged all of the pieces then sat down. "Well? Are you playing or not? Or should I say, do you want to lose or not?" The boy smirked, so sure he was going to win. I sat down across from him and chuckled.

"You know, young Earl, chess is a good metaphor for you." Looking at me as he made his first move, Ciel titled his head.

"What does that mean?"

"Well, let's say you're the king. You have your closest pieces, such as Sebastian, as your protectors. And then people like me, we're your pawns. Your throw aways." I wasn't really paying attention to the game, not even putting strategy into where I moved my pieces. At one point I just began copying every move he made.

"I feel like there may be some offense to the queen if I called myself a king." Ciel muttered, quickly picking up that I was mirroring him and starting to use it to his advantage, taking out pieces every turn.

"Oh of course compared to her life and interests, I'm sure you're just a pawn yourself. But in your circle and yours alone..." It wasn't long before Ciel had me in checkmate again.

"I don't see how you could have ever hoped to get information out of me by beating me in chess when I can win so easily." Ciel shook his head in disbelief.

"Well I've learned that it pays to make the child think he's won, even if he hasn't." Glaring at me, the boy huffed.

"And how exactly did you win?"

"I got to spend time with you." I wasn't expecting Ciel to get quite as red as his did, and I chuckled.

"Don't say things like that! Elizabeth might hear!" I only laughed harder, which of course made him more flustered.

"You're doing nothing to win my favor, Lau." He grumbled. That stopped me.

"But I am... I can see it, you like bantering with me."

"It's not bantering if you're talking to an ape."

"See? There, you have a smile in your eye, young Earl!" Triumphant, I grinned and began setting the pieces up again. "Now, teach me how to play this game?"

* * *

We played until Sebastian came in wheeling a cart of food. "Lunch is ready, my lord." He announced. Making our way to the table, I tried to steal the head seat again but when I sat down I found the chair yanked out from under me, and I crashed to the ground. Sebastian stood innocently holding the chair for Ciel, who sat down with an amused smirk.

"Careful, Lau. I need my pawns intact." I couldn't help but chuckle as I got up and sat down in the nearest chair.

"Not fully though, I'm sure. Enough to work, you don't care about anything else, right?" Taking his silence as a yes, I looked down eagerly when Sebastian placed a plate in front of me. Though immediately my face fell.

"What is this?" I asked, poking at the bland looking dish.

"Roasted duck with honey sauce and herbs."

"Oh." I watched Ciel and Elizabeth immediately begin to eat, and though it wasn't something I would normally try myself, I didn't want to be rude. So I cut off a piece of the duck and tasted it. To my surprise, it wasn't as bad as I had been expecting. It wasn't to my tastes but it was filling and edible. Ran Mao and I ate quickly, not wanting to overstay our welcome, and when we were finished, stood. "Well, young Earl, it was a pleasure, and I look forward to seeing you next week. Lady Midford, so nice to meet you, and thank you for keeping my sister company." With that we left. I glanced at Ran Mao as we got in our carriage. "I don't believe he likes her all that much..." I mused to her. She nodded.

"She was annoying... Like a screeching bird."

"Hah, no wonder Ciel doesn't like her."

* * *

Come next week, I had, to my embarrassment, found myself thinking far more about if I would see Ciel at the festival than anything else, even my business. And if I did see him, would he be wearing the cloak I got him or not? So it wasn't much of a surprise that I woke up on the day of the festival with my stomach fluttering as if a thousand butterflies had taken up residence inside it. "I may actually be nervous, Ran Mao." I mused to my sister as we dressed, though she merely cast me a glance. It had snowed the night before, and as we left to make our way to the river, I marveled at the clean quiet that had fallen over the city. "Snow makes everything seem so angelic..."

We arrived at the festival early, about half an hour before any of the activities started, and I immediately began looking to see if Ciel was there. From what I could see, he wasn't. Even though the festival lasted all day, I was already worrying he wouldn't show up at all. My sister tried to distract me as the hours passed, leading me to booths and stalls. We tried some English snacks, though if they were good or not, I don't remember. All my focus was on Ciel. I tried to tell myself it was merely so I could get further on his good side, learn his secrets, but it was more than that. I realized I was beginning to develop a sense of brotherly protection to the young boy. Not unlike the kind I had with Ran Mao. And though I knew Sebastian was no doubt capable of protecting Ciel, I still worried about if he was okay when he wasn't near by.

Finally, around three, I spotted him from across the festival and immediately made a beeline for him, dragging Ran Mao with me. "Young Earl! I was beginning to think you had decided not to come!" I said cheerily, hoping the relief wasn't obvious in my voice. He stared at me with an arched brow and then glanced around.

"I don't see why... There's still plenty of time for me to have arrived. Did you want me to come that badly?" I paused.

"Well, of course I did. Why wouldn't I? All children should enjoy festivals!" The boy glared and huffed.

"So what is there to do here anyway? I haven't been to one of these in years." He asked, though I saw the smile in his eye again. It brought such a rush of joy. Yes, this boy was my little brother now, no matter if he liked it or not.

"Well, there's food and stalls to buy things, there's dancing and singing as well as games." I pointed out each thing from where we stood, curious as to which he'd decide.

"I see," was all he said, before starting to make his way toward the stalls of trinkets and holiday gifts. Sebastian and I flanked him, he as the boy's butler, me as his guardian, with Ran Mao beside me, eyes always alert. If wasn't that there was a danger of Ciel being attacked, but looking at Sebastian, I knew he had just as much concern for his master's well being as I did. It was sweet.

* * *

"Oh no, you were scared, I could tell!" I laughed, much to Ciel's annoyance about an hour later. We had some how gotten on the topic of when we were kidnapped.

"I certainly was not! You were the one insisting you were strong and brave, and then when they came in and tried to hold us hostage you did nothing!"

"I was tied-Oof!" Halfway through my sentence, I was roughly slammed into, falling down, looking in time to see a woman rush past. Ran Mao helped me up, tense. "It's okay, I'm okay," I soothed her, petting her head. "She's just a bug, nothing to concern yourself with." Once I was sure my sister wasn't going to slip off and kill the woman, I turned back to Ciel, who was looking at me with amused curiosity, and Sebastian who had nothing but understanding in his eyes. No doubt he could relate to Ran Mao's desire for revenge. I was about to finish the train of thought I had been on before I was knocked over, when there was a scream. All four of us snapped our heads to look at where the scream had come from. The woman who had knocked into me was throwing herself around, apparently in a fit. But then I noticed she was trying to grab people, lunging at whoever was nearby. As we watched, she managed to hook her fingers into another woman's scarf and dragged her down, beginning to punch and kick her. More people were screaming now, some trying to pull her off of the woman, but she managed to fight them into submission as well. "Young Earl?" I mused. "I think this case is far from over..."

Just then, apparently bored with the woman beneath her, the attacker jumped up and looked around for her next target. To my surprise, she locked her eyes in Ciel's direction and began to run for him. Sebastian grabbed Ciel up and swung him into his arms, crouching. Myself, I took a more direct approach. "She is now a rat." I told my sister calmly. Immediately she raced forward, slamming her elbow into the woman's face. I watched approvingly as Ran Mao dug her fingers into the woman's hair and used her momentum to crash her into the ground. There my sister held her as she casually snapped her neck before climbing off and wiping her hands off on the woman's coat. "Are you alright, young Earl?" I asked Ciel calmly, holding my arms out for my sister to return to me. She didn't mind killing, but she liked being held and coddled after, like a rewarded child.

"I'm fine." Ciel insisted, though he and Sebastian were once more staring at my sister and I. "You're a fool, you know? We could have restrained her and questioned her when she came down from the drug!" The boy finally snapped, back to his original self.

"She was threatening you. And a pawn always protects his king." I smiled and shrugged.

"Hmph. Come on. We'll take her body to the undertaker ourselves. And make sure no one steals it." Ciel squirmed free from Sebastian's arms, and the tall butler went over to pick up the woman's limp figure. "No. I've changed my mind. Sebastian, you stay here and question everyone. Lau will escort me to the undertaker." Bowing, Sebastian took the body over to our cart, setting it down in a heap.

"Be careful, my lord." He warned Ciel, and then he turned away to find people to talk to. It was beginning to snow as Ciel looked over the cart with a judgmental eye.

"Hmph... You can't have a real carriage, can you?" The boy huffed when he realized he'd either be sharing the back with the body or the driving seat with my sister and I. Without a word, I picked him up and handed him off to Ran Mao, who was already in position to drive. "Hey!" Ciel tried to look offended, but I saw the flush on his cheeks that couldn't be attributed to the cold.

"I'm sorry, young Earl. But I think it's best we get this body to the undertaker as soon as possible, and you are so slow." I teased, climbing up to sit beside him. He was between Ran Mao and I, and without even realizing it, I began adjusting his cloak for him. "I see you're wearing my gift again..." I mused. The second I said that, Ciel reached up, untied the ribbon and undid the clasp, letting the cloak fall off his shoulders. "Young Earl, I understand pride but if you get sick from being out in the cold, I would never forgive myself!"

"Then drive quickly." As if the order had come from me, Ran Mao started the cart and we rolled off. It was only a minute or two before I felt the first shiver from the boy pressed against my side. I sighed and reached to undo my outer sash. In the winter I wore a thick changshan and a thinner one underneath. Opening the thick one, I wrapped an arm around Ciel's shoulders and ignored any protest, pulling him beneath it and against my chest.

"You may be fine with getting sick out of spite, but I'm fairly certain Sebastian would kill me." I took the cloak and draped it over my arm, further insulating him from the cold winter air.

"Lau I-" I casually cut him off by closing the changshan around him. I was pleased to feel that his shivering stopped, and his own body heat was more than enough to make up for the cold I felt when I had opened my changshan to begin with. I was also surprised to find he didn't struggle nearly as much as I was expecting him too. He gradually calmed down until he only shifting occasionally. I smiled. It felt so nice having his warm body against my own. Because he was like a little brother to me, nothing more. No other reason.

* * *

By the time we got to the undertaker, it was snowing heavily, though Ran Mao didn't seem bothered in the slightest that snow was piling up on her head. She hopped out of the cart and easily hefted the dead woman onto her shoulder. As she was doing so, I was carefully drawing Ciel out, re-fastening the cloak around his shoulders. His face was red, now without a doubt from embarrassment. "You smell like smoke." He muttered. I merely laughed and hopped off the cart, lifting him and setting him down at my side.

"And you look like you've gotten sunburned. Your cheeks are awfully red, young Earl." Amusement coursed through me when I saw his cheeks get even redder.

"Let's just get inside. It's cold." I held the door open for him and Ran Mao. "Undertaker! We have a body for you." The undertaker appeared almost instantly, without any of his usual flair.

"Oh! You found one of my friends!" He giggled.

"Wait-found?" Ciel looked at the undertaker, confused.

"Yes! Oh but she seems to have gotten damaged. She was so perfect before."

"Are you saying she's one of the dead bodies that was stolen from you?" The undertaker nodded quickly, reaching for the body. "That's-that's not possible. That's... Lau, Ran Mao, stay here. I'll return shortly." Ciel turned and without another word left. I was beyond curious now, and worried, so I stepped up to the door, ready to run out in the case of an emergency. Instead, a few tense minutes later, the door opened again. To my astonishment, Sebastian stared back at me, holding the door for Ciel, who walked in while adjusting his eye patch.

"How-?" I stared in shock. It had taken us at least twenty minutes to reach the undertaker from the festival, yet here Sebastian was, only minutes after Ciel had left. I didn't have a chance to finish my questions however, when Sebastian pushed past me and took the body from my sister, looking over it silently. He glanced up again and shook his head toward Ciel.

"She isn't." He said cryptically. Ciel sighed and began to rub his temples.

"Great... so we have a mystery drug, a dead woman who's just died a second time, and no reason for why that would be." I looked over at the boy.

"Well we do know one thing, young earl. I was right. This case is far from over..."


	5. Whitechappel Demon Final

Now that we had a new, much more serious reason to investigate, Ciel insisted Ran Mao and I once more temporarily move into the Phantomhive manor. We spent most of the first few days after the festival pouring over old texts about anything that had to do with raising the dead. We must have looked through dozens of books. At some points even Ran Mao and Sebastian helped, though I noticed they were spending time together as well. I once walked into the kitchen and saw Sebastian trying to teach my sister how to cook. I didn't try to tease her about her interest with the Phantomhive butler. She so rarely showed interest in people of any kind, and I was happy that she had more to do than just occupy my lap. Not to mention, her with Sebastian allowed me more chance to spend time alone with Ciel. Not that I particularly cared if we were alone or not. Because all he was to me was a little brother. The few breaks we took between investigating were mostly spent eating or sleeping, though four days in I was able to convince Ciel to play a game of chess with me before we retired to our rooms for the night.

"So, when we were visiting the undertaker, how was Sebastian able to get to you so quickly?" I asked in the middle of the game, not expecting any truthful answer. I wasn't disappointed.

"He was already outside when I left. I was going to find someone to bring him back but I didn't need to." My brow arched. I knew for a fact that Sebastian could not have interviewed everyone as he claimed and made it to the undertaker's shop in time to run into Ciel. So either the butler was lying, or Ciel was. And from what I knew about the two of them, I guessed it was Ciel. Sighing, I turned my attention back to the game. I had been practicing, and already took out two of his pawns, set to take a third.

"Young Earl, I do wish you wouldn't lie to me... I may be a drug seller, and I may be a criminal, but I am no fool. Though, if you don't want to tell me the truth, you merely need to tell me so. Just tell me you don't want to talk about it." The boy stared at me for a minute as he took one of my knights, then nodded.

"That seems fair, I suppose. But when I say I don't want to answer, do not keep asking, understand?" I grinned and nodded eagerly. It wasn't much longer before Ciel had captured my king.

"Ah well. I did almost manage to get one of your rooks though!" I pointed out as I helped the boy set the board up again.

"No you didn't. I merely allowed you to THINK you had a chance to take it, so that I could take your king unmolested."

"Ah, well, I'll have to make sure to change that next time. You won't go unmolested again." Ciel's face reddened, and I chuckled. "Your wording, not mine, young Earl." Still red, the boy bid me a hasty good night and fled, leaving me to grin as I made my way back to my own room.

* * *

On the sixth day of our renewed investigation, the police came to talk with Ciel about his progress. I was in the room at the time, examining yet another book, this one about voodoo.

"It's been almost two months. Are you sure you don't need our help?" One of them asked. Ciel glared at him.

"I'm positive. I have my own set of help, far better than you lot." Another one shook his head and glared in my direction.

"Is this the kind of "help" you have? This oriental?" I paused and stood upright.

"Gentlemen, I am merely here as a consultation, nothing more. It is my first and last time in this place." I had no desire to be fully associated with Ciel among the police. If I were to be arrested, it would bring too much trouble for the young boy.

"Fine, it's better we don't help you anyway. We have a serial robbery case we're working. We can't afford to spare men." Who knows if the case would ever have been solved if I wasn't in the room, but the second that man said robbery, I froze.

"Well, thank you for your concern, gentlemen, I'm sure Earl Phantomhive will be in touch if he finds anything. Ran Mao, see these men out?" I said quickly, watching the men eagerly follow my sister's swaying hips out the door.

"Lau! What on earth-"

"Robbery! It explains everything! My young Earl, we've been looking at this all wrong." I grabbed the book on voodoo and flipped through it until I found the right page. "Yes, I knew I recognized that! Porcupine fish venom! They use it to "animate the dead". Except that's not what the venom does. Well, in higher dosages it can kill, but if you get it right, it induces a near death state that lasts for quite a while. China is full of superstitious people who believe using it can allow you to meet the gods. Most die, of course. So I suppose they DO get to meet the gods after all." The look in Ciel's eye said it all. He understood what I was getting at now.

"So what if the women who died due to the drug weren't dead at all? Then the bodies going missing, they weren't stolen. They got up and walked off on their own. Would explain why Sebastian couldn't find them." He smirked. "I have to admit, that's genius. I bet if we looked at where the robberies took place, it was all around the same police area as the drug attacks. The police respond to someone attacking people, and the robbers move in while they're distracted. And then if the attackers are "dead", the police won't question them, and there's no risk of them finding out. Hm... How ironic. The police came to us asking if we needed help, but we just solved their case."

"Now the question is, what do we do next? Are you going to call on your magic butler to catch the criminals?" I asked. Ciel smirked and shook his head.

"No, I want to do this one the normal way. Prove to the police that we're much better than they are. We're going to visit the undertaker again. If we find out who the woman is, we can find her accomplices." The boy stood. "Sebastian! Get the carriage ready." He called. Sebastian poked his head in and nodded before leaving again, as Ran Mao returned.

"You're going to behave and wear a cloak again, right, young Earl?" I teased as we waited for Sebastian to return with our winter wear. "Or will I have to keep you warm myself again? Ran Mao might find trouble with that, unless you're willing to share my lap." The boy's face reddened considerably and he turned away.

"Don't say things like that you idiot." He huffed, making me chuckle.

"You look so sweet when you blush, young Earl." At that moment, Sebastian returned, carrying the cloak I had gotten Ciel, the boy's cane, and my thicker changshan. "The carriage is ready, my lord," he said, kneeling to help get the cloak on Ciel's shoulders. Then we were heading out and climbing into the carriage. To my surprise, Ran Mao hopped up in the driving seat beside Sebastian. I smiled.

"Your butler and my sister seem to be getting along." I mused once we were settled. Ciel shrugged.

"Sebastian respects those who can hold their own against him."

"And you? What does it take to gain your respect, young Earl?" The boy paused.

"Usefulness mostly," he said after a minute of thinking. "Or status." I smiled and nodded in acceptance.

"So you respect me? I've already helped you solve two cases, and I AM a nobleman after all." Scoffing, Ciel rolled his eye.

"Please, you'll have to work harder than that to earn my respect."

"Well, you have my respect, for the record. You and your butler both." I saw Ciel's expression twitch, though into what, I couldn't tell. It was gone too quickly.

"Of course I do. You work for me." With a chuckle, I dropped the issue, not wanting to push anything. Instead, I whined.

"Young Earl, you should come sit on my lap. It feels so empty without my sister." Ciel's face reddened again and he stared at me like I was mad.

"Did you smoke before we got into the carriage? Of course I'm not going to get in your lap! Do you know how undignified that is? I'm not one of your girls!" He spluttered, making me laugh again.

"I don't see the problem. You're too young to be one of my girls anyway."

"And too male!"

"Well, I suppose that too." I didn't mention that I noticed he was only focusing on me calling him a girl, not the implication that came with it, though the thought made me chuckle. He was an adorable little brother.

* * *

By the time we got to the undertaker, Ciel had regained composure, and got out immediately, before Sebastian could even help him.

"Hmph. I should have YOU ride with Sebastian from now on." He grumble to me. "At least your sister has the ability to defend me." I arched my brow.

"Do you doubt my ability? Honestly, I feel like I SHOULD be offended. But I think I'll just prove you wrong instead." We made our way into the store, the undertaker already waiting.

"Two visits in a month, young Earl? I'm honored you enjoy my little house of friends so much."

"Undertaker, the bodies that were stolen, could they have still been living?" Ciel asked quickly. The undertaker nodded casually.

"Yes, they were alive." He said, as if talking about the weather. Ciel blinked in shock.

"You knew they were alive? Well then why on earth did you not tell anyone?"

"They were brought in as bodies, so I treated them as such."

"But they- nevermind. Just- what can you tell us about the actual dead body we brought you?" Ciel sighed, blinking when the undertaker pointed to Sebastian. "Right, yes, fine. Come, Lau." Ran Mao and I followed Ciel outside, at which point I shook my head.

"Do you think he would have actually embalmed those women while they were still alive?" I asked once the door was closed behind us.

"I'm not sure. Then again, had he done so, we never would have found out about the robbery ring. So either way, it's a good thing they woke up when they did." Nodding, I was about to speak again when laughter shook the undertaker's shop.

"Why are we not allowed to be in there anyway, if it's just laughter?" Ciel shrugged and opened the door.

"So, what can you tell us?" He demanded the undertaker, who was once more on the floor in tears and giggling furiously.

"Ah, well, the woman's neck was broken, as well as a few teeth."

"Yes, we knew that. But do you know who she is?" The undertaker shook his head.

"No, I don't. She did have this on her though. I thought it was pretty." He picked up a small pendant, with a button on the side. Quickly I snatched it up and hummed.

"This is what they used to inject the venom I bet." I mused, ignoring Ciel's glare that I had gotten to look at it first. I noticed a small hole at the end of the pendant and, making sure to keep my fingers away from it, pushed the button. A needle poked out of the hole, and retracted once I lifted my finger. "Yeah, see? You dip the needle in the venom, then when you drew enough attention, pricked your finger. It's ingenious really, and it cuts down on possible suspects greatly."

"How so?" Ciel asked, nodding to Sebastian. I suddenly found the pendant pulled from my hand, the butler having had taken it to give to his master.

"Well, this is custom made, so whoever made it is part of the ring, or knows who commissioned this." I said, watching Ciel test the button, a spike of worry that he'd get pricked making me tense. But he was careful, and once he had finished examining it, handed it back to Sebastian.

"Find who made this. And Lau, send word to your friends to check on anyone who may be buying this venom." Sebastian and I both nodded, the tall butler leaving with a bow.

"Ran Mao?" I asked my sister. She turned and quickly followed Sebastian out. "She'll make sure the message gets around. Shall we head back?"

"Oh young Earl, before you go? That witness of yours, connected to the dead women? He was really dead." The undertaker said as we reached the door. Ciel just nodded, and then he and I walked out to the carriage.

"Will Sebastian be able to get home alright? I know Ran Mao will, but I'm not sure of the limits of your magic butler's skill." Once again the boy nodded. I opened the carriage door for him, and for the first time, he accepted my help in climbing inside. Then I got up into the driving seat, regretting that I sent Ran Mao off. I hated sitting alone with no company.

* * *

About halfway back to the manor, I became aware that someone had been following us for some time. So, not wanting to take any chances, I slowed the carriage to a halt and went to get Ciel.

"Why did you stop?" The boy asked.

"We have a shadowy rat on our tail. Won't you come sit up with me? I'd feel much better if I could see you. Believe me when I say it is entirely possible to grab someone from a moving carriage." Reluctantly, Ciel agreed and I helped him up into the driving seat, joining him quickly.

"Do you think it's a coincidence?" He asked as we started off again, glancing over his shoulder. I shook my head.

"Not at all. Should I try to lose them?" Ciel thought about it, then sighed.

"No, let's just get back. And tell the maid when we return, she'll make sure we're fine."

"Mey Rin? How will she help? Is she magic too?" The boy smirked.

"My staff is all hand picked to offer the highest quality protection available." He explained. "Which is one of the reasons I would never consider hiring you." Snorting, I grinned.

"You have no idea, my young Earl. But you will. If you'd like, I could show you right now." Ciel rolled his eye.

"No, it's too troublesome. Just get us back. I'm cold. And don't you dare put me under your coat again." Laughing, I urged the horses to go faster, shrugging off my outer changshan again, and draping it over Ciel's shoulders.

"Here. Sebastian would kill me if you got sick. I doubt he'd care if I did, though." Ciel looked like he was about to protest, then a cold wind blew and he thought better of it, pulling my changshan tighter around his body.

* * *

By the time we got back, I was shivering pretty hard, and I was very thankful for my long sleeves, otherwise my hands would have probably gone numb a while ago. We had taken longer than normal, since I wanted to make sure we only took roads with minimal blind spots, just in case. Even so, to my surprise, when we returned, Sebastian was already there, as was my sister.

"Ah, my lord, why are you out in the cold?" Sebastian asked.

"We were followed for a while, I didn't want to risk him being snatched from the back, so I had him move up with me. I made sure he stayed warm though." I explained as Sebastian lifted Ciel from the driving seat and carried him inside. The boy squirmed free once they had crossed over the threshold and pulled off my changshan, handing it back to me.

"Sebastian, start a fire in my office, and in the dining room. We can discuss what was discovered after we eat." Sebastian nodded and bowed. "And tell Mey Rin to keep an eye out for anyone." Ciel added as his butler began to walk off.

"It amazes me how your butler manages to travel so quickly..." I mused, holding my sister close for warmth. She didn't seem to mind that my skin was no doubt ice cold.

"I could say the same about your sister."

"My sister is very skilled in traveling quickly, and she only had to tell one person to get the request circulating. Sebastian had to actually investigate." Ciel stared at Ran Mao again, tilting his head. After a moment he turned and began walking toward his office. "You know, we know the robberies and the "dead" women are connected, but what about that demon the man saw?" I pointed out as I followed him, eager to be near a fire. Even with Ran Mao's warmth, and my winter changshan, I was still freezing. What I would have done for some opium at that moment...

"I'm not sure. We won't know unless we know what the man saw... And since he's dead... And we also have to question why the women involved all had miscarriages. Perhaps that's a connection? Maybe that's how whoever is running the ring finds women to recruit?"

"Could be... This entire case has been one twist after another..." I sighed, holding Ran Mao closer. "Like a twisting, winding river, with hidden currents everywhere..." Ciel stared at me with an arched brow.

"What are you going on about now?" He asked, amusement in his voice.

"Nothing, nothing. Want to play chess while we wait for dinner?"

* * *

We spent the next hour or so playing chess, Ciel of course winning every time. We shared the usual friendly banter, but I had decided that I had probed his life enough today, so I refrained from asking him any more questions. Dinner was okay, bland for my tastes as usual, and I debated taking up the habit of carrying around a bag of mixed spices to add to food, though it seemed awfully rude. After dinner was finished, Ciel pushed back from his chair and wiped his mouth.

"Sebastian. What did you find out?" He asked. The butler, who had been in the process of clearing the table, glanced up.

"The pendant was made by man named Markus Karoff, an immigrant from Russia. Mr. Karoff made ten pendants, all picked up by the same man. Interestingly enough, the same day that our very own Ran Mao killed that woman, the man visited Mr. Karoff again, claiming a pendant had been stolen, and requesting a replacement. Lucky for us, being so close to Christmas, Mr. Karoff hasn't yet made it. I told him to contact us when he does." Ciel smirked.

"Excellent. So we'll arrive there first, and ambush the man when he comes to pick up the replacement." He sighed. "What a relief. This case has been so troublesome. I'll be glad when it's over." Standing, the boy made his way to the piles of books we had been reading from the past week. "You can put these away now, Sebastian. And start a fire in my room. I predict we will have a very relaxing few days to come, now that we merely have to wait."

"I agree. Though, that tail we had, it still worries me a bit, young Earl." I mused, having not had moved from my seat. Ran Mao was in my lap again, and I was lazily petting her head. "Either you were right about my friends turning on you, or the people who run the robbery ring already know who we are..." I watched Ciel pause and consider this.

"We'll have to keep an eye out, yes, but past that, I doubt they'll cause any problems at this point. I mean, if getting the man picking up the pendant doesn't work, or if it does but he doesn't reveal anything, we have your end tracking down porcupine fish." Nodding, I gently nudged Ran Mao off and stood myself.

"I suppose you're right, as always, young Earl. If you don't mind, I think I should like to part ways for a short time tomorrow. I have been away from my business for a while these past few months, and I want to check up on it."

"Fine, but be careful. And check in on your friends, make sure none of them have turned on me. If they have, I want you to make it clear they will be killed if they try to hurt me." I bowed and wrapped an arm around Ran Mao's shoulders.

"Of course, my young Earl. And with that, I bid you good night. And good dreams." As Ran Mao and I headed back to our room, I turned to her. "So, Sebastian. He's impressive, isn't he?"

"Yes. I think there is much more to him than we can see."

"I couldn't agree more."

* * *

The next day, Ran Mao and I left shortly after breakfast. I did indeed want to check in on my business and follow up with my acquaintances, but more importantly, Sebastian mentioning Christmas made me remember that gift giving was an English tradition in the winter months, and I hadn't picked up anything for anyone. I wanted to keep a good impression, after all. So, after checking in to make sure my girls hadn't run off with my clients, Ran Mao and I began to explore the commercial districts of London. I wasn't quite sure who I wanted to give gifts to beside Ciel. Was it appropriate to gift the staff? What about Ciel's fiancé? No doubt she would visit for the holidays. Would it be out of line to buy something for her? And Sebastian too. He was more than just staff to Ciel, that was obvious...

* * *

By the end of the day, I had bought a few gifts for Ciel, and Ran Mao had picked out a gift for Sebastian, which I thought was adorable. On the way back to the manor, we both kept an eye out for any rats, but saw none. Either they were better at hiding, or they had backed off for now. When we got back, I had Ran Mao carry the gifts up to our room and hide them. We didn't want Sebastian finding what Ran Mao had picked out for him, though we were sure Ciel wouldn't go snooping around our room. We then met the boy for dinner.

"How was your day, young Earl?" I asked as I sat down at the table.

"Fine. I was finally able to focus on other work." Nodding, I hummed. It was so hard not to run and grab the gifts right now. I was so excited to see his face when he opened them. "Did your friends find anything yet?" His question broke me from my thoughts and I shook my head.

"Nothing worth mentioning yet. They're following up on suspicions, and from what I could tell, none have turned on you either. So that's good." Ciel nodded slowly, returning his focus to the food for a few minutes.

"How did you piece together the robbery and the attacks?" He asked suddenly.

"I'm not sure. I had been reading about the porcupine venom, and thinking about how I've seen people use it to "die" and come back to life. And we had been trying to figure out how a woman could be dead, then die again... And I suppose I just made a lucky guess that just happened to be right?"

"I see..." I could tell he wanted to say more, but he didn't. I was curious as to why. At the same time however, I didn't push the issue. If I had, I wasn't sure if he would actually say it or shut off completely. So instead, I smiled.

"Are you envious, my young Earl?" I teased. The boy scoffed and rolled his eye.

"Please. I have nothing to be envious of. A lucky guess is no great accomplishment."

"My lucky guess solved the case."

"No, your lucky guess gave us a lead. If we're going by who solved the case, that would be Sebastian, for tracking down the man who made the pendants. Now we have a means to catch the criminals." I pouted, then shrugged dismissively.

"If you say so. Whatever helps you sleep, I suppose." The rest of dinner went by without incident, and, tired from a day of exploring crowded shops, Ran Mao and I retired to our room once we had finished eating. "Do you think we'll ever understand Ciel and Sebastian?" I asked my sister. She considered it for a moment, then shrugged. And that was that.

* * *

Two days later, on Christmas Eve, Sebastian announced at breakfast that Karoff had contacted him to let him know the pendant was finished. Ciel had us hurry through breakfast, and we were out the door before the food even had a chance to settle in our stomachs. Once more, Ran Mao sat up in the driving seat, leaving Ciel and I alone in the back. I noticed quickly that the boy was tapping his fingers on the window sill of the carriage.

"Nervous?" I asked. He stopped tapping and put his hand in his lap.

"Certainly not. Just eager for this to be over, so I can get back to my duties at the Phantomhive company." He insisted. I chuckled.

"Of course, of course. How ironic, a child running a toy company, but doing so in such an adult manner... it's almost poetic..." Ciel glared.

"I told you, stop calling me a child!"

"I will when you smile." Huffing, the boy dropped the subject and returned his gaze to the window. A few minutes later, his fingers started drumming on his knee. So he was nervous? Or at least anxious in some way. It was so sweet. I wanted to reach over and pat his head, tell him everything would be okay, Then again, if I did that, he would never forgive me. The rest of the ride passed in silence, and as we stopped in front of the jeweler's store front, Ciel hurried out. It was like he didn't want to be alone with me anymore than he had to be. I worried that perhaps I was being too probing, or he really was offended by my teasing.

"Sebastian, tell Karoff to send word to the man, let him know that the pendant is ready to be picked up. We'll grab him when he comes to get it. Have Karoff wrap it distinctly, so we can easily tell who he gives it to without him having to signal to us." Ciel told his butler. The tall man nodded and vanished into the store. Through the glass we could see him chatting with a fat, moderately unkempt man. I noticed Ran Mao was glancing around as we waited, no doubt scanning for danger.

"Do you think it was safe for us all to come out here?" I asked Ciel. He glanced at me.

"What? Are you afraid for my safety? I have Sebastian and your sister to protect me. I think I'll be fine."

"What? You don't count me as a protector?"

"I told you, I don't think you'd be able to." Nodding, I went silent again, trying to figure out how to prove to him that I could be trusted to keep him safe. I briefly considered hiring someone to attack the boy, and kill him myself, but the thought of putting Ciel in harms way made me start to get anxious, so I quickly decided against it.

* * *

We waited for a few hours, in the safety of the carriage, out of sight of anyone, or so we thought. Around noon, Sebastian noticed a man entering the store. "That's him." He pointed out, gesturing to the brightly wrapped package being handed over and tucked away into the man's coat.

"Alright, Sebastian, go get him." Ciel instructed. Just as the butler stepped out of the carriage, there was a loud scream. A woman.

"Help! Help! A demon! The devil! Help!" We all froze, Sebastian looking to Ciel. As he did, the man we were trying to grab tore out of the store, away from us.

"Ran Mao!" I pointed to the man. "Keep him alive." My sister launched from the carriage to give chase.

"Sebastian, go find what the woman's screaming about." Ciel ordered. And then we were alone again, the two of us.

"They knew we were coming..." I muttered, pushing Ciel into the middle of the carriage. "Young earl, stay in the middle, here. I don't trust that a supposed demon is the only distraction they sent..." The boy was a bit more tense than normal, his hands up at his chest, ready to reach for something. What that something was, I didn't know, nor was this the time to ask. I looked out the windows. There was no one on either side of us, and for a moment I relaxed. Then suddenly, the carriage shook, and the door was yanked open. A woman stood with a bat, screaming for the two of us to exit the carriage. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ciel's hands go up to his head. And then I drew a knife from beneath my sash and struck. In a quick movement, I had cut the woman's throat, kicking her away so none of the spurting blood got on me. "Are you alright, young earl?" I asked.

"Y-Yes... I'm fine. Are there any more?" I glanced around, noting no one else.

"I don't see anyone. Oh, and there's Ran Mao. She has the man with her. I hope he's not dead..." My sister approached, the man slung over her shoulder.

"Not dead," she said calmly, stepping over the dead woman to dump the unconscious man onto the floor of the carriage. Sebastian returned then too, carrying another man, dressed in what appeared to be theater costume. He was struggling and screaming for help.

"I found our demon. Fake, of course. Apparently, when he heard people were looking into the deaths of the women, he decided to throw us for a loop by dressing as a demon and letting himself be seen with one of the women. He's no demon, just a pathetic human. He's agreed to tell the police everything, including the names of all the women helping." The man nodded.

"I-I'll tell them whatever you want, just-just don't let him near me again! Please! Oh god please don't let this monster hurt me!" I arched my brow at Sebastian, who shrugged.

"Should we deliver these men to the police?" Ciel nodded and glanced at me.

"You know... if you're going to really protect me, you should have gotten that woman before she even had a chance to open the door." He muttered. I chuckled, patting his head.

"You're welcome, my young earl." He slapped my hand away, and I noticed his eye patch was crooked. "Oh, your eye patch..." The boy quickly adjusted it, turning his head away from me as he did.

"Can we get going? I want this case to be done with. I have a letter to the queen to write, informing her of it's completion.

* * *

We dropped the men off with the police, the one dressed as a demon giving a full confession before we had even fully got him through the door. I have to admit, it was very satisfying to see the looks on their faces when they realized that we had figured out their robbery ring for them. Then we were heading back to the manor, so that Ran Mao and I could pack our things and return to our own house.

"Young earl, before we say our goodbyes this time, I have something for you," I said once we were all packed to leave. Ciel was sitting in his office, writing a letter to the queen, with Sebastian near by tending to the fire.

"Well? Give it here." The boy demanded, not looking up.

"I know Christmas isn't until tomorrow, but since I don't think I'll be seeing you tomorrow..." I handed the boy the three packages, then turned to Ran Mao, who was holding the one she had gotten for Sebastian. "You can give yours to him," I told her. She nodded and approached Sebastian, emotionless as she passed him the bundle. While Ciel didn't even bother opening his gifts yet, as he was still writing, Sebastian unwrapped his right away, and smiled warmly when he pulled out a silver pocket watch.

"Oh, this is beautiful. Thank you very much, and I am honored that you would think to give a lowly butler a gift." He immediately attached the watch to his vest, tucking it away into his pocket. "This will be perfect for keeping track of when I must start cooking meals, and for when my lord has appointments." Ran Mao nodded to the butler and quickly returned to my side. By then, Ciel had finished his letter and started opening his. Each of them was a gun, sized for a child, with one especially small.

"What are these for?" The boy asked.

"Well, in case we're all busy protecting you, and you find yourself in even more danger, you can always have a weapon to defend yourself. They're small, so they can easily be concealed inside a pocket, and this one here," I tapped the smallest one, "can be hidden under a pillow." Ciel looked over the guns, then nodded.

"I didn't get you anything," He said.

"I didn't expect you to. Don't worry about it, my young earl. And happy Christmas. Or whatever you Englishmen say." Ciel nodded, and as Ran Mao and I left, I could feel his eyes on me. We were just about to climb into our cart when I heard the door to the manor open again.

"Lau!" Ciel called out. I turned to look at him.

"Yes?" He paused, appearing to be unsure.

"I-... thank you. For... for protecting me." Smiling wide, I bowed.

"Of course. A pawn always protects his king. And you're much too interesting to let die, my young earl. Until next time." Ran Mao and I climbed into the cart, and had just started off when Ciel called after me.

"Next time we meet, you better actually put up a challenge in chess!" I laughed and waved to him.

"Next time we meet, I'll beat you!" I could have sworn, for a split second, I saw an actual smile on the boy's lips. But we were far away from each other, and when I blinked, he was gone, the door closing, and soon the manor was out of sight.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I hope you guys are enjoying this so far! I'm running out of ideas on what to tie in to the actual story. I already have something planned with Lau's sword, and Ran Mao's Chuí, and how they acquire them, since, as you may have noticed, I have yet to write them into any scene. If you guys have any requests of what to see, feel free to say something. Within the next few "arcs" I plan on getting Lau and Ciel closer, though if we'll get to the mature stuff right then, I can't be certain. We'll see.


	6. The Ripper and The Reaper Part One

**Author's Note**:

**This is the point in my story where things start overlapping with the canon. Please note that from here on out, things will NOT be a synopsis of the anime/manga from Lau's perspective, so don't get upset if things are told differently. On that same note, I have no desire to watch every episode and read every page that has Lau and Ciel in it just to copy down their dialogue for this, so I will be writing my own interactions for the most part. It will still keep the same basic meaning, and if I like any particular lines said by any of them, I'll include them as they are. I will try to keep everyone as in character as I possibly can, though if you think I'm straying too far from who a character should be, don't hesitate to let me know. ^-^ thank you! Now back to the story.**

* * *

From that moment, it seemed Ciel and I had turned from employer and employee into friends. He invited me to his manor a few times, and then I began showing up on my own. At first he was surprised and perhaps a bit annoyed, but he never sent me away. There wasn't much to do in terms of cases, but we played chess or discussed various things, and for a while, everything was nice. I helped him find more contacts and friends in the criminal world, and we often met up to talk about what was going on in our parts of the city. Ciel liked to keep tabs on going ons. Not far into spring, word began to spread of a drug dealer who had shown up out of the blue, and was disrupting all of our businesses, including Ciel's. Needless to say, none of us were happy about it, and one day I received word that my presence was requested at the Phantomhive manor. I never refused an invitation from my favorite Earl, so Ran Mao and I set out immediately after breakfast, though the letter requested us for after lunchtime. When we arrived, I didn't even bother knocking, entering right away. To my surprise, and joy, Ciel was walking up the stairs when we arrived.

"Earl Phantomhive!" I called to him. I saw him tense and slowly turn to me. No doubt he had been hoping for peace and quiet.

"Lau... You know, I know you're from China, and customs are slightly different there, but I was under the impression that lunch was universally in the afternoon." He mused.

"Oh of course, of course. Don't mind us. We had nothing to do today so we figured we'd come early. Better that than arriving late, yes?"

"It'd be better if you arrived on time..." I just grinned at him, and finally he gave a sigh and motioned for us to follow. "I have matters to attend to today, Lau, so don't bother me. And play nice with the other guests when they arrive."

"Other guests? Young Earl, I'm hurt that you would ever suggest I couldn't play nice with those you see worthy enough to be your guests."

"One of them is the rat we've been looking for." I paused. That changed a lot of things.

"Well if you know who the rat is, why not exterminate him now?" The boy glanced at me as he entered his study.

"Because, where's the fun in that?" I caught the sly grin that always plastered itself to his face when he had an entertaining plan, and I grinned as well.

"What do you have in mind, my young Earl?"

"Well, if I kill the rat now, I can't be paid for its removal." I couldn't help but laugh. This was typical Ciel, I had learned. He did nothing if it wouldn't benefit him in some way. Which made me feel even safer as Ciel's friend. If he was keeping me around, he must still need me for something.

* * *

Ran Mao and I lounged about Ciel's study for the next few hours, and Sebastian even made us small plates of food for lunch. I noticed he gave Ran Mao more than me, and chuckled. We were just finishing our food when Sebastian arrived to announce that the first of Ciel's guests had arrived. "Come, Lau, we shouldn't keep my guests waiting." Ciel stood and led us back out and down the stairs to a room I had yet to see. It was oddly dark, and contained little more than chairs and a billiards table. Now, I had very little idea how to play billiards, though it seemed the other people in the room were all well versed in it. They were already picking up their sticks and setting up the table. I recognized two of the guests: Madame Red and an Italian mafia nobody, Azzuro Vanel. I hadn't been the one to put him and Ciel in touch, and for good reason. I didn't like the man's methods, thought he was too violent, and I would have preferred Ciel have no contact with him. It made me worry for the boy. We shared a curt nod between us, and I greeted Madame Red with a smile. Ciel had mentioned that she disliked how much time I was spending with him, and I wanted to show her I had nothing but his best interests at heart. She returned the smile, though it seemed much more forced. Besides the two I knew, there were two others, an aging man and a fat one.

"Gentlemen," Ciel greeted them. "And Madame." The two unknown men merely nodded. They had noticed my sister and were fixated on her at the moment. "Shall we play a game?" The boy asked. That snapped the men out of their trance and they voiced their agreements. For the next half an hour or so we played. Or rather, everyone but Ran Mao and Ciel played. He skipped every turn. I knew him well enough to guess he had a reason, but it seemed to annoy the other men. We chatted about various things. I learned the older man was one Lord Randall, and he seemed to be the one Ciel was planning to receive payment from. Toward the end of the game, we heard a commotion outside, something about rats. I chuckled. It was funny to me that Ciel had a rat problem in both senses of the word. Lord Randall mentioned that there was a rat in the room too, and I smirked. So everyone knew there was a rat. I wondered if everyone knew who it was, or if we all suspected one another. Once more, Ciel's lack of action was brought up.

"Earl Phantomhive won't make a move until he's sure of victory." I mused lazily, petting Ran Mao's head. Madame Red nodded.

"Indeed, he is not one to risk failure." She glanced at me, and I was glad we agreed on something to do with Ciel for once.

"Well that's all well and good, but that doesn't tell me when you're going to be taking care of our rat problem!" Lord Randall grumbled. Ciel glanced casually at him.

"When can you procure payment?" He asked. I watched Randall's face turn from surprise to annoyance. No doubt he didn't like being forced to pay for his problems to go away.

"You're a vulture, Phantomhive. Your family has always-"

"Do not insult me, Lord Randall. How soon can you procure payment?" The boy's voice had turned from amused to stern and angry in an instant. I had learned over the year or so I'd known him that any insult to his family name was met with instant hostility. Lord Randall seemed to realize his mistake in speaking as he did, for he sighed and refused to meet Ciel's eye.

"Tonight..." He muttered. Ciel smirked and stood.

"I'll send a carriage for you tonight then. You may even get some light entertainment out of it..." The boy approached the billiard table.

"You've skipped all your turns, and now you're going to try with only two balls left?" Vanel scoffed. Ciel hopped up onto the table to get a better angle, and I noticed with interest that he used the ring on his thumb to help steady the stick as he took aim at the black ball. Lord Randall scowled when the boy wasn't looking.

"Your greed will be your undoing, Earl Phantomhive." He warned almost threateningly. Ciel didn't even look up, instead shooting the cue ball forward. We all held our breaths. It knocked against the black ball, rebounding off the red one. The red one was knocked into a pocket, and the black one rolled slowly toward another.

"My greed, hm?" Ciel turned to glance at Lord Randall as the black ball dropped into the hole. "Am I undone?" I snickered behind my sleeve. The young Earl was always such a show off when he could be, and I loved watching men who thought too highly of themselves being put in their places. Lord Randall merely growled and dropped his stick back on the rack.

"See you tonight..." He muttered, walking out.

* * *

Not long after Lord Randall left, Ciel said goodbye to the two other men, and invited Madame Red and I to join him for tea. He led us to one of his sitting rooms, though once I knew where he wanted us to be, I excused myself for a moment and hurried toward the door. I caught up to Lord Randall as he was leaving.

"Lord Randall, before you go. I want to make something clear, so you can spread the word, if you'd be so kind. Ciel Phantomhive has the support of everyone under my control. If anyone, noble or otherwise, bring him harm, they will face the full wrath of everything I have at my disposal. Ciel Phantomhive is protected. And, those who attempt to sully his name will not be given a second chance, should they do it again." The man stared at me, probably shocked that I would dare imply he might bring Ciel harm. It wasn't as if I cared though. I needed the word to get out to those I couldn't reach myself. Once I was sure he understood, I turned and made my way back to the study. There, Ciel, Madame Red, her new butler, Ran Mao and I, waited for Sebastian to bring us tea. I had grown rather fond of the European tea Ciel had served. Of course, it couldn't beat a good Asian tea, but they were a close second.

"So, do you really think the rat was with us?" I asked as we waited. Ciel nodded.

"I do. And I expect to be dealing with him tonight." I had to admit, I was worried for Ciel dealing with the rat himself, though I didn't want to say anything in front of Madame Red. Just then, Sebastian entered with a cart of tea. He approached us, and Madame Red took the opportunity to chastise her own butler for not being as good as Sebastian. While she talked, though I couldn't see why, Sebastian jumped in shock, and Ciel blushed.

"Madame Red, please don't manhandle my butler." Ciel requested. Madame Red blushed a bit.

"Sorry, doctor's habit! I just thought he needed a physical!" She laughed, before accepting the tea Sebastian handed out. "Ciel, why don't you let Lau take care of this?" Madame Red suggested after she had drank her tea. "A rat knows best where a rat's nest is." I chuckled, standing up.

"Believe me, I would be more than happy to take care of this for Earl Phantomhive." I pat Ciel's head teasingly. "But I am merely his pawn, and if he orders me not to act, I have no choice but to obey. Isn't that right, my young Earl?" Madame Red glared at me.

"If you're his pawn, you have no right to put your filthy paws on him!"

"You wound me!" I chuckled. "I would never dare paw the young Earl in his own home." I caught Ciel's gaze and the boy blushed, standing up and walking out as Madame Red yelled at me. I finally managed to explain that I meant no harm, and she relaxed a little.

"I'm sorry, Lau, I just... Sometimes I feel like Ciel cares more about you than me. He shares so much more with you."

"Nonsense. The only reason he shares so much with me is because I'm lucky enough to be there when he wants to share. That's a it is: luck. I'm sure if you visited more, he would share with you too." The woman frowned.

"I'm always so busy with work, I don't have much time to visit him..." I was about to suggest she take a day off when there was a loud crash and the sound of glass breaking. Fear shot through me and I jumped up, Ran Mao and Madame Red following close behind. We found Sebastian and Mey-Rin, the latter blushing furiously. I noticed a window was broken, and a vase was shattered, water splashed on the wall.

"What happened here?" Madame Red asked.

"I'm terribly sorry for the noise. It's nothing at all. If you would excuse me, I have urgent business to attend to." Sebastian hurried off, gone in the blink of an eye. I frowned. Something didn't seem right. Still, Sebastian wasn't there to ask any questions, so I reluctantly agreed to be taken home by Madame Red.

* * *

A week after I last saw Ciel, I was chatting with some friends in my little business when, to my surprise, he came through the door. Even more surprising was the fact that he had fading bruises and healing cuts all over his face. I was furious, both at whoever hurt him and at Sebastian for letting him get hurt. Before the boy was even fully through the door I was at his side. "My young Earl! What happened to you?! Are you okay? Do I need to kill anybody?" I asked. Ciel shook his head slowly. I noticed that as well as bruises and cuts, he had a dark circle beneath his eye, and he looked barely awake.

"I'm fine..." He muttered, voice lacking any sort of usual life. "The rat had claws and teeth. Nothing more. We need to talk..." The boy hid a yawn in his hand.

"Come, come. We can talk in the back. Ran Mao, get some tea?"

"No tea. I just want to talk. To you. Alone." I paused. This was worrying me.

"Of course, this way." I expected Sebastian to walk with Ciel, but he followed behind instead, so I replaced him by the boy's side, placing my hand on his back. Sebastian had Ciel's coat over his arm, and that was probably why I was able to feel it. An odd, circular bump on his back. I said nothing, though as soon as Ciel realized where my hand was, he slapped my arm away.

"I don't need help walking!"

"Of course, my young Earl, sorry." Leading the boy into the back room, I shooed out my girls, instructing them to watch over everyone. Then I guided him to a large couch, where I had him sit down. "So, what is so important that you needed to come all the way down to my business? Could you not have just sent for me?"

"I don't want to be at my home at this moment..." The boy's voice was slurred a bit, seemingly from exhaustion.

"Young Earl, you're scaring me... Do you need a doctor? Maybe we should call for your aunt-"

"No!" He suddenly snapped loudly. I jumped, since I had been leaning in close to hear him. "I just want to talk! I need to stay awake... Until it stops."

Frowning, I stood and went to the door. "Ran Mao, bring us a cup of the strongest coffee we have," I called before returning to Ciel.

"Alright, we can talk. I'll help you stay awake. But... Why don't you want to sleep?" Ciel stared at me, then made a face and sighed.

"You know, Lord Randall told me you threatened him and swore my protection... Did you mean it?" I nodded, suddenly feeling eyes boring into my very core. Sebastian was staring intently at me. After a minute he nodded. The boy seemed to relax a little. "In that case... Sebastian, go help with the coffee preparations. You know how I like it." Sebastian eyed Ciel as he bowed and left. Now Ciel and I were alone again. We sat in silence for a few minutes. I was about to speak when Ciel looked up. "Lau, what do you know about my past?" He asked.

"Well, you are the son of Vincent and Rachel Phantomhive. You vanished after the fire that killed your parents, and then a month later you were home, and you had Sebastian. That's about all anyone knows, really. Even your aunt has no idea what happened to you..." Slowly, the boy nodded and sighed again.

"Do you remember how I said I wouldn't die until I had completed my purpose?"

"Yes, you said you're not afraid because of Sebastian. And I think that's a pretty good reason. He's an amazing butler." Ciel scoffed.

"You don't know the half of it. Lau, I'm going to tell you something that only a few other people know. Because, while Sebastian will ultimately protect me from death... I want someone who will also protect me from harm. And, I need someone to assist Sebastian in keeping threats down. He is very efficient, but he's only..." The boy looked like he was struggling to find the right word to use.

"Only human?" I suggested. Ciel glanced at me and gave a tired smirk.

"I think I should tell you what I need to tell you now... The night of the fire, I was kidnapped, and sold to a cult..." As he talked, he began pulling his shirt from his pants. "They did horrible, horrible things to me, things no one should have to go through, especially not someone as young as I was when they did it. They branded me as well." He turned his back to me and lifted his shirt to reveal the scar I had felt. My heart stung with sadness for him.

"Is that why you're not happy like you used to be?" Ciel nodded.

"Yes. Now, this next part... If you tell anyone, I will make sure Sebastian brings you a death more painful than any man could imagine." I was shocked. Was his secret that big? And he was sharing it with me?

"Of- of course, young Earl. I would never dare share your secrets. Though, Ran Mao..."

"Tell her if you want. But no one else. I... I do have both my eyes. Sebastian, he isn't merely my butler, Lau... He's bound by a contract. As am I. Sebastian isn't human." I froze. Ciel must have been much more tired than he let on. He was making absolutely no sense. Then I noticed he was pulling down his eye patch. When it was off, Ciel looked up again and my eyes widened. His eye was purple, like I had thought I saw all thpar months ago. But it wasn't just a mutation or something. There was no way his eye was natural. It looked like one of the satanic seals we read about when we were investigating how people could come back to life.

"What-"

"Sebastian. Isn't. Human." Ciel said slowly, emphasizing each word. He must have seen the doubt on my face, because he frowned. "I'll prove it to you, if you don't believe me. Sebastian!" No sooner did the words leave his mouth than Sebastian was opening the door.

"Young master, I shall never get your coffee done if you call me away from it for something as simple as this." The man had an amused smile on his face, as if this was all a little game.

"Just show him."

"But I thought you didn't want anyone to know unless I was killing them for you?" Ciel growled and sat up, locking eyes with his butler.

"Sebastian! This is an order! Provide him with proof!" After a moment he quickly added, "without hurting anyone!" Sebastian sighed and nodded, approaching me. As he did, he worked off one of his gloves and I noticed that one, his nails were black, and two, he had an odd symbol on the back of his hand.

"My name, Sebastian that is, was given to me by my master and holder of our contract. I am bound to do as he wishes, until the day that the terms of our contract are completed. My true name can not be spoken by humans." I was frozen, more in awe and surprise than fear, though I picked up a hint of danger in the butler's voice. "I am a demon." Sebastian bent down to meet my eyes, and for the first time I noticed that what I thought were brown irises were actually a deep red. That in and of itself was inhuman. But then they started to glow, and the pupils shrank into slits. I saw fire and darkness and cruelty in those glowing red eyes. And I immediately believed every word the two of them had spoken. I was speechless, less scared than I should have been, more amazed than anything. And then something hit me and I began to laugh. Even Sebastian looked surprised at my reaction.

"What's funny?" Ciel demanded. I took a moment to compose myself, still giggling.

"I get the "one hell of a butler" thing now! You're a demon, you literally are one hell of a butler."

"THAT is what you focus on in this entire situation? A stupid joke?" The boy looked annoyed that I didn't react how he had expected.

"Well, I have no reason to be afraid right now. You told him not to hurt me. And from what you said, I'm valuable enough to your purpose that he won't be hurting me any time soon. And on top of that, I suspected he was different in some way. Now I know for sure. And I didn't even have to beat you in chess to do it!" Ciel stared at me, then sighed and looked to Sebastian.

"Bring me two cups of the coffee," he demanded. Sebastian, whose eyes were back to normal, nodded and left.

"So, this contract, how does it work?" I asked.

"He is bound to me. If I order him to do something, by saying "I order you to" or "this is an order", or any variation of those, he has to do it or the contract breaks. The fact that he does what I say without me expressly ordering him to, that's mostly his choice. Even without my orders, he is also bound to keeping me alive, at any cost. Any order I give that would cause my death is superseded by that. " I nodded. It made sense.

"How did you even manage to make a contract with a demon?" The boy frowned, looking down at his eye patch.

"When I was sold to the cult, I prayed, I prayed every day I was there. And nothing. No one came to help me. No one came to stop the agony. And so I gave up on God. And when I did, I asked for anyone. Whoever it would be, I didn't care. I didn't want to die. And then he came as a raven, and he spoke to me. He told me about a contract. A contract that would allow me to live, and destroy the people who tried to destroy my life. In return, once I've gotten revenge... He gets my soul." Out of everything Ciel had said today, that one bit upset me the most. Sebastian was going to kill Ciel once he had gotten revenge? "I made the contract, and told him to put the seal anywhere. The more obvious a place it's in, the stronger the contract. I wanted to be powerful. So he used my eye. He killed the cult members, and took on the guise of my butler... And that's the story. That's everything. My biggest secret, the thing you've been trying to find out since we met." He was trembling as he finished speaking, breath tense. I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Young Earl... I don't understand though, why you're telling me? You could have easily just asked me to help Sebastian protect you, and never let on that he was a demon. Why?"

"I need... As much as I deny it, as much as I hide it, I need help. Since my ordeal with Vanel, I've been having nightmares and flashbacks... Warm milk just isn't cutting it anymore, and I don't care to trust a demon with stopping my dreams. I've barely slept all week. I was able to take little naps at first, but now there are nightmares there too. But you... You can help..." I blinked when I realized what he was getting at.

"My young Earl, I am many things. A criminal, a con, a cheat, a killer, and a sinner. But a man who gives drugs to children, I am not."

"I am not a child!" Ciel snapped. But I shook my head. "Well then what do you suggest I do? Stay awake until I die?!"

"Just talk to me. Don't try to stop the dreams, just talk. Talk all you want. I've found it's excellent help. Why do you think I ramble so much?" The boy glared daggers at me, and for a moment I wondered if he would order Sebastian to kill me for not giving him drugs. But instead, he began tucking his shirt back into his pants.

"I keep having nightmares about the night I was taken. It's always the same. I run through the house, looking for my parents, and they're no where. I'm screaming for them. And it gets dark. I'm trying to find a light, trying to find my parents. I trip, and there's enough light for me to see what I had fallen over. It's my mother... Next to her is my father. They're both dead. I try to run, but something grabs me... And then I wake up." The boy was shaking again, and I hesitated, before reaching to pull him into a quick hug.

"Is that what happened that night?" Ciel shook his head.

"Not really... It was similar, but different."

"Tell me about that?"

* * *

We talked for hours. Or rather, Ciel talked, and I listened. He talked about everything. All his flashbacks, though he never went into real detail. He talked about how he was afraid he would never get revenge, and afraid that he would, and then his soul would be taken. He was afraid people would find out about what had happened to him, and start to pity him, or no longer respect him. He was afraid he wouldn't be able to manage his father's company the way his father would have wanted. What he talked about most though, was being afraid of Sebastian abandoning him. He didn't want to be alone again, without anyone to turn to. That was something he came back to multiple times, probably without even realizing it. I don't think he noticed, but his coffee never came. Finally, as he was pausing to catch his breath from a particularly long monologue, Ciel leaned his head back, and not a minute later his body relaxed and he was asleep. I chuckled.

"Young Earl, it's not healthy to keep all your feelings hidden like that..." I whispered, gently picking up his eye patch and retying it for him. Right when I was finished doing so, Sebastian walked in. "He's asleep." I told the man-no, the demon. He nodded and carefully picked Ciel up.

"I know my master has said it already, but if you tell anyone, I will kill you, even without his order."

"He said I could tell Ran Mao."

"I've already told her." And then the two of them were gone. Once they left, Ran Mao approached me, looking deep in thought. I held her close.

"Are you alright, my little tigress?" I asked. She nodded slowly.

"I'm just... Amazed that a demon considers my skills on par with his own." Chuckling, I pet her head.

"I had an odd reaction to learning he was a demon too. Come, we have business to run. Did you ever make that coffee? I'm craving some right now..."


	7. The Ripper and The Reaper Final

**Author's Note:**

_This next bit contains the long awaited sexiness. Well, some sexiness at least. I'll mark it clearly, so if you don't wanna read it, feel free to skip over. And yes, Ciel will always be in control. I refuse to accept that he could ever give up control for any reason. _**  
**

* * *

A week after Ciel confessed to me, I had yet to stop by his house. I didn't want to intrude on him if he was resting. I did send a letter to him that mentioned how happy I was that he put his trust in me however, and informed him I would be there for any other cases he needed help with. While I waited to be called upon, I began hearing rumors that a new killer was terrorizing London. They were calling him Jack the Ripper. I eagerly looked for a letter from Ciel, hoping he would ask for my help. But he never did. Only a few days after that, Madame Red came to visit.

"Lau, word from Grell is that my nephew is going to his home in London tomorrow, to work on this horrible Jack the Ripper case. I want to help, and he trusts you. Come with me?" She all but pleaded.

"Of course, of course. I've wanted to help as well." So, the next day we set off early for Ciel's London home, getting there before he did. I easily picked the lock and we were inside within minutes. We weren't quite sure when the boy would be arriving, and Madame Red had the wonderful idea to make tea for him. The only problem was that we couldn't find the tea anywhere. Halfway through looking, Ran Mao paused and stood up. At the door to the room we were currently searching stood Ciel and Sebastian. Ciel looked equal parts surprised and annoyed that we had invaded his home, though I saw the well hidden amusement as well.

"Good afternoon, young Earl! Where do you keep your tea?" I asked with a grin. Ciel rubbed his temples.

"Sebastian... Go make us tea..." Sebastian bowed and smiled.

"Of course. I'm terribly sorry. Had I known we were going to have guests, I would have gotten my master out earlier."

"Oh, that's quite alright. You're only human." I caught Ciel's eye when I said that, grinning even wider. The boy barely hid a scoff.

"So, Ciel, what's going on with this prostitute murder thing? That IS why you're in London, is it not?" Madame Red cut in, casually reaching over to slap her butler's hands away from an expensive glass sculpture. "Don't touch that, you'll break it. Go help Sebastian." The butler yelped and nodded, scurrying away. I thought it was funny, he clearly was interested in Sebastian himself. I wondered if it was a specific type of person who was attracted to demons, since both he and Mey Rin seemed like bumbling idiots. Then again, that didn't explain Ran Mao. Shrugging, I sat down and pulled her into my lap.

"Yes, young Earl, I'm hurt that you didn't come to me for help! Do you not care for my assistance anymore?" I asked.

"I make it a point not to get outside help if I don't need it. I only just started investigating. I haven't even visited the undertaker yet." Ciel grumbled, settling himself down on the plushest seat in the room. Madame Red tilted her head. "The undertaker? Why on earth do you need to visit an undertaker? They're all so... Creepy!" I began to laugh.

"The man we're talking about is the best undertaker that I've heard of. Granted, I've only heard of him. He's a bit unconventional, but he's excellent at helping. If you can get him to help, that is," I told the woman. She nodded.

"So when are we going to visit this undertaker?"

"After I visit the crime scene," Ciel muttered. He was staring at me, I noticed. Unable to resist, I stood up and began approaching him.

"Oh but young earl, do you really think you can stomach the scene?" I asked. The boy glared. He knew where I was going with it no doubt. "What with all the blood, and the horrific ways these women are killed, and no doubt the stench will be horrible. It's really not something a child could usually handle..." I mused, reaching to pinch his cheek like one might do to a baby.

"I am the head of the Phantomhive household, I have seen many people die, I think I can handle one more." I chuckled as he slapped my hand away before I could touch him, and sat down again.

"What do we know about this ripper?"

"Well, Lau, it seems we'll have more to do with Whitechapel area. The killer is targeting only prostitutes around there. So far there have been no witnesses. Not so much as a demon sighting." He smirked at me and I chuckled.

"Demon?" Madame Red asked, apparently wanting to be included in on the joke.

"The last case we worked on was that robbery ring. One of the criminals dressed up like a demon to try and throw us off their scent," I nodded in agreement with Ciel's explanation. Of course, that wasn't why we were laughing, but I wasn't about to spill Ciel's biggest secret.

"How are the women being killed?" I asked the boy.

"Stabbing. I'm not clear on the specifics, which is why we need to visit the undertaker."

"Stabbing is such an intimate way to kill..." Madame Red and Ciel looked at me curiously. "It's like..." I trailed off when I saw that Ciel's shorts had ridden up slightly, showing off his legs. They were creamy and pale, like milk. I found that I couldn't stop staring, for whatever reason.

"It's like what?" Ciel demanded. I blinked and looked up.

"Hm?"

"You were saying stabbing is like something. What is it like?"

"Oh. I have no idea, I've completely forgot where I was going with that." Grinning, I chuckled when both Madame Red and Ciel groaned and complained that I was useless. At that moment, Sebastian and Grell returned with the tea, and I noticed Grell was sporting a bandage on his hand.

"Grell, I do hope you didn't burn yourself on the tea pot again." Madame Red grumbled.

"N-no ma'am, it was the stove, this time." The man stammered out. His mistress sighed.

"Honestly, I don't know why I still keep you around..."

* * *

We drank our tea, and then made our way to Ciel's carriage. Sebastian and Grell got into the driving seat, and I could tell that Ran Mao was a bit disappointed. There wasn't room for three adults up there. So she joined the rest of us, laying across the seat with her head in my lap. Ciel and Madame Red took the other seat. "You know, I'm glad Sebastian is so tolerant with Grell. Maybe he'll actually learn something." The woman mused as the carriage began to move. Ciel hummed and nodded slowly, in thought. He stayed mostly silent through the ride, and had us wait behind while he visited the crime scene. He returned no different than when he had left, and I realized he had been serious. The sight of death didn't bother him anymore. I wanted to say something, but I held my tongue until we got to the undertaker.

"Young Earl, is it just me or has this place gotten more... Decrepit since we last visited?" I pointed out as we climbed from the carriage.

"You're right... The undertaker doesn't take very good care of his shop..." When we got inside, the undertaker was once more no where to be found. I looked around and saw a coffin laying on a table. He was hiding in there probably. "Undertaker!" Ciel shouted. It was silent for a moment, and then we all jumped (save for Sebastian of course) when the undertaker climbed out of another coffin I hadn't noticed.

"Young Earl! Hello! I take it you're here about my dear friends? Come, come. You're in luck, I just made tea!" Before any of us could protest, the undertaker handed us beakers filled with tea.

"Uh, thank you..." Madame Red muttered. I glanced around and noticed that a few organs were in beakers identical to the one in my hand, and when the undertaker was distracted with fawning over Ciel's presence, I dumped the tea into a pot that was home to a very dead plant. Finally, Ciel was able to get a word in edgewise.

"Undertaker, we need to see the Jack the Ripper victims."

"Ah, they've already been cremated, young Earl. However, for the right price, I may divulge their secrets..." Ciel sighed.

"I must be mad. I keep expecting that one day you don't demand payment..." The boy shook his head, gesturing for us to follow.

"Is that it? Are we just leaving?" Madame Red questioned, frowning with confusion as we exited the store.

"No, Sebastian needs to administer payment. For whatever reason, we're not allowed to witness it."

"Well what's the payment?" As if on cue, laughter rang from inside. It seemed louder than usual, and I wondered if Sebastian was showing off. "Really? Are you serious? It's laughter?" I glanced at the woman as we re-entered.

"Well, to be fair, his friends aren't very good at telling jokes."

"Lord..." Hearing Ciel muttering under his breath, I turned and caught his eye. When I grinned at him, he looked away quickly to hide a smile. At least I hoped that was what he was doing. Once more the undertaker was giggling on the floor.

"Okay, undertaker, what do you know?" The gray haired man lifted himself up off the ground, still giggling.

"Well, the women all had their wombs removed." Ciel paused.

"As in, they were cut out? Or ripped out?"

"Oh, it was without a doubt done by someone with medical training of some sort. And it was done before they died. Oh, and their wombs were taken. There were no loose organs found at the scenes." Frowning, Ciel nodded and motioned for us to follow him again.

"Thank you for your help, undertaker. And for the... Tea." We left quickly, before any further refreshments could be offered, and climbed into the carriage. This time, Sebastian joined us in the back.

"So, the killer may very well be a surgeon." I mused. "Or at the very least, a doctor..." Madame Red frowned.

"How horrible. A doctor, doing something like this... What do we do now?"

"We investigate every doctor and surgeon, and anyone who could have the ability to perform those mutilations," Ciel said as he gazed out the window in a bored manner.

"All of them? But that will take days! Weeks even!"

"Sebastian, start looking to see if anyone doesn't have alibis for the nights of the murders. Start with those closest to Whitechapel and work out from there." The boy ordered. Sebastian nodded and smiled at him.

"Of course, my lord. I'll get on it immediately." It seemed he meant that literally, for the next second he was opening the door of the carriage and leaping out.

"Wha-did he just- the carriage is _moving_!" Madame Red gaped.

"Yes, he certainly is one hell of a butler..." I mused, making Ciel groan quietly. We chatted for the rest of the ride. Whenever Madame Red seemed to struggle with something else to say, I'd bring up a topic in the form of a question to Ciel, and she would elaborate on it. The ride took far longer than it was supposed to, since Madame Red's butler took more than a few wrong turns.

"I'll make tea for you when we get inside, Ciel. I don't trust Grell to make anything without Sebastian's guidance." The woman glared at the front of the carriage. However, when we got back to Ciel's house, Sebastian was already there. I admit, even knowing Sebastian's true nature, I was surprised to see he had returned so quickly. What was even more shocking was the list he produced, longer than himself.

"I have interviewed everyone who fit the criteria for the killer, and all but one has an alibi. Lord Aleister Chamber, Viscount of Druitt" He explained.

"How-you interviewed _all_ those people? I mean, I know Grell got lost, but there's no way-" Madame Red sputtered. Ciel ignored her shock.

"Right, we need to investigate Lord Chamber... But how?"

"Oh! I know he's having a big party tonight, I could pull some favors and get us invitations." The boy's aunt seemed overjoyed to be able to help. Ciel nodded and hummed.

"This case may be over before it's even really begun..." He mused. "Sebastian, prepare appropriate clothing for the party. I'll be in the study." With that he turned and left our company.

* * *

A few hours later, both Madame Red and Sebastian had come through with their jobs. Madame Red had procured six invitations, and Sebastian had gotten clothes for Ciel, himself, and me. I lacked the proper formal wear. Madame Red and Grell simply returned to their home to change, and Ran Mao did the same. She returned in a beautiful cheongsam, her hair done up more formally than it usually was, and as Sebastian passed us with Ciel's outfit, I swore I saw his eyes linger on her. Once Madame Red came back, we went to go check on Ciel, and even from down the hall we could hear him arguing with Sebastian.

"I'm not wearing it!" We couldn't hear Sebastian's responses, though it didn't seem to be to Ciel's liking. "No! It's not the only way! So what if he knows me? I don't care! No! Sebastian! Sebastian! I or- hey! Stop!" I chuckled. Apparently Ciel was less than pleased with the outfit Sebastian had bought him. Though if it was anything like what he had gotten me, I understood why. The suit was so stuffy and tight. It was not at all anything I was used to, and the tie was practically choking me. Eventually Ciel's protests died down, only to be replaced with entirely different cries. "Ahnn! Seb-Sebastian, it won't g-go any further!" Ran Mao and I exchanged looks, and I noticed Madame Red's face now matched her hair. "It's t-too much! Ah! I can't! It hurts! No more! Ahnn!" His voice rose and became more and more strained until finally he let out a loud cry, and things quieted down. I could hear talking, though I couldn't pick it out. Finally, not too long before we were meant to leave, the door opened and SOMEONE emerged. I did a double take. It was Ciel, though had I not known the boy so well, I never would have guessed as such. He was wearing a beautifully elegant pink and black dress, hair extensions and a flowery pink and black hat that hid the contract.

"Oh my, you look... Wonderful!" Madame Red snickered. To my amusement, Ciel's face reddened significantly.

"You do, it's a beautiful dress." I agreed, twirling some of the hair extension around my finger. It was real hair. When Sebastian emerged too, sporting a suit, neater hair and glasses, I cast Ciel a meaningful look. "Not merely your butler indeed. I never thought you of all people would be into that, my young Earl..." the boy blushed even brighter.

"Corset! Sebastian made me wear a corset! And he tied it too tight!" He sputtered out, making me laugh.

"I'm very glad for that, young Earl. I see you like a little brother, and the idea of you being seen like that with someone... It makes me want to steal you away." I pat his head, and he slapped my hand away with a pout.

"Can we just get this over with so I can change out of this ridiculous outfit?"

"Of course, my lord. The carriage is ready." Sebastian nodded to Grell. "You'll be driving. Madame, have you decided a proper cover for us?" Madame Red nodded.

"Ciel will be my niece from the countryside. Sebastian will be her tutor, and Lau, you can be my..." She paused. There was obviously no possible way we could imply the two of us were related.

"Lover, perhaps?" Sebastian suggested. I shrugged.

"I'm fine with that, if you are?" Once more the woman nodded.

"Yes, lover works." As we talked, we made our way out to the carriage, and climbed in. Sebastian sat beside Ciel, and I felt a sudden surge of jealousy that the demon got to be so close to him. Hugging Ran Mao on my lap, I sighed, chuckling when I saw how Ciel was having trouble sitting properly.

"Trouble, young Earl?" I teased. Ciel glared at me.

"Sebastian, I don't care if the queen orders it. I'm never wearing a corset ever again." He grumbled. "How can women wear these things? It's crushing my ribs, I can barely breathe, and I can't even lean back properly."

"I can loosen it slightly when we arrive, my lord, but to be fair, you don't have much of a womanly figure, and you need the corset to appear older than you are," Sebastian explained. Glaring, Ciel crossed his arms in front of him and pouted for the rest of the ride. When we got to the viscount's home, Madame Red got out first, followed by Ciel and Sebastian. Grell handed our invitations to one of the servants and we were pointed in the direction of the ball room. People were everywhere, all of them very wealthy looking. I chuckled and leaned to talk to Ciel.

"If only those robbery people thought to work here, hm?" Ciel snorted.

"The richest of London's nobles gathered together... This would indeed be a good place to rob. If only we were looking for thieves..."

* * *

We mingled for a little bit, on the look out for the Viscount. Finally we saw him, and I couldn't help but snicker. "Does he honestly think that look is suiting him? It looks like he forgot to take his napkin out of his collar."

"Oh, I think it looks nice," Madame Red mused. Ciel sighed.

"No matter what he's wearing, I'm going to go talk to him and end this foolish charade before this corset breaks my ribs." He made to move toward the Lord Chamber, when we all heard a familiar voice.

"Oh wow. I love your dress!" We froze, Ciel going white.

"What is Elizabeth- if she sees me, I'll be disgraced! We need to leave!" I was amused by his panic, but at the same time, he had an excellent point. It was too late though. Elizabeth glanced in Ciel's direction, and began heading over. I was about to haul the boy to "safety" when Sebastian took his hand and swept him into the mass of people dancing. I frowned, once more jealous, and Ran Mao must have noticed, for she put a hand on my shoulder to calm me down. By the time the songs had ended, Elizabeth had managed to get rather close to Ciel, and I watched Sebastian push him in Lord Chamber's direction and gesture to a waiter. I wasn't too happy with the idea of Ciel talking to a potentially violent serial killer alone, but a glance from Sebastian froze me in place. I was getting more annoyed by the second, and more worried the longer Ciel and Lord Chamber chatted. I saw Ciel posturing in ways I had never seen before. He was actually smiling, giggling. My annoyance continued to rise. I knew I was getting unreasonably possessive over the young Phantomhive boy, I knew I had no real right to hate everyone who touched him, but that didn't stop it. I tensed when Ciel and the viscount began walking as they talked, though before I could follow, Sebastian was in front of me with a large box and an armful of swords. I was confused until I saw Elizabeth. Sebastian began some explanation of a magic trick, and to my surprise, asked for my assistance in performing it. I was supposed to stick the swords into the box. It was a blessing, as ironic as that was. I needed the anger release, and knowing the butler was a demon meant I had no need to hold back. And I didn't. I used the entire set of swords Sebastian had handed me, stabbing them everywhere. The final one I pushed straight through the top. By the end, I felt a lot better. Sebastian had to protect Ciel. He'd be fine. And, to my minor disappointment, so was Sebastian. He emerged from the box without so much as a hair out of place.

"Stay for a little longer, then make your exit. My master is calling me," He whispered in my ear. I nodded.

"Keep him safe." I replied as he left. By now, Elizabeth had spotted Ran Mao, and they talked for a short while, until Elizabeth remembered she was trying to find "the girl with the amazing dress" and hurried off. I noticed Madame Red and her butler seemed to have wandered off and sighed. "Come on, Ran Mao. Let's find Madame Red, and then we'll leave." We found her not long after, looking a bit frazzled. I guessed Grell had done something again. "Madame Red, we're leaving now. Sebastian and Ciel have already gone." The woman nodded, motioning for Grell to follow. He drove us home, not getting lost this time by some miracle, and by the time we arrived, Ciel was in his normal clothing.

"So?" Madame Red asked when she saw him.

"Chambers is a deprived criminal and too fond of women, but I don't believe him to be the killer. He tried to sell me. Apparently he was running a slave auction of some kind." He grumbled. I chuckled.

"Didn't Vanel want to sell you too? Honestly, young Earl, if I caught you, there would be no amount of money in the world that would match your worth." I mused. Ciel and Madame Red eyed me.

"Was that supposed to be a compliment?" The woman finally asked. I glanced at her.

"Was what supposed to be a compliment?" She groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Well, regardless, I have some things to do." Ciel said, turning and leaving us. I nudged Madame Red.

"You should go, ask to play chess with him or something." I suggested. She blinked, then nodded, hurrying after the boy. I waited for a few minutes to see if she'd return, and when she didn't, I smiled."I'm so nice, aren't I?" I asked Ran Mao. She just stared at me. Chuckling, I motioned for the door. "Come, let's head home. We'll return tomorrow."

* * *

The next day, when we got to Ciel's home, the boy was not happy. He showed us the newspaper article. Another victim had been discovered, this one found at the time of the party. "So there's no way Lord Chamber could have done it..." Madame Red muttered.

"What now?" I asked. The boy sighed.

"Now we re-examine all the suspects, and figure out who managed to provide a fake alibi... But first... I need to talk to Sebastian..." The boy hurried off. I turned to Madame Red.

"So, how did it go last night?"

"We played chess for two hours. He beat me every single time, like always... I think I might have annoyed him though. I got too protective, told him he should stop trying to be a guard dog for the queen..." I chuckled.

"Yeah, he's rather proud of that title."

"It worries me..." The woman looked down. "Lau, if I die, I want you to take care of Ciel for me. I know he pretends to be okay all the time, but he's just a boy without a father... He needs someone like you to teach him how to be kind to people, and forgive..." I nodded.

"Of course. I'll do everything I can to keep him on the right track." The woman looked relieved, and smiled.

"I still think you're a no good rat, though."

We didn't see Ciel until noon. The boy approached me, looking troubled.

"Lau, come with me?" I followed him into his study.

"Yes, my young Earl?"

"Lau... What do you think should happen to the ripper when he's caught?" He asked as he sat down. I thought about it.

"I believe all rats should be exterminated, no matter what their crime may be." I finally answered.

"So, he should be killed? What if he had a very good reason for the murders?" I eyed the boy. I had never seen him attempt to sympathize with a target before.

"Then he should be put to trial, and let the judge decide if he dies or not." After a few minutes, Ciel nodded.

"You may return to your business for now. Tell Madame Red I don't need her help either. But... Come back to my estate later. Around eight." I was beyond curious now, though I didn't ask any further questions. If he wasn't ready to say anything, I wasn't going to push it. Not when we were already doing so well. Instead, I merely bowed.

"Of course, my young earl. I'll see you later then."

* * *

The rest of the day, I was more focused on what Ciel possibly could have had on his mind than anything else. On more than one occasion, Ran Mao had to stop me from walking into things or tripping over cushions. Did he know who the killer was? Was that why he was asking those questions? For a minute I became worried that he might have suspected me as the killer, and that was why he asked me to leave his home. But no, there was absolutely no reason for him to think I was the killer. And we even had Elizabeth to vouch for us should he have any doubts. I refused to believe he would suspect me though. Finally, after dinner, I hurried Ran Mao out the door and raced to Ciel's estate. He wasn't there yet, but the maid let us wait in the house, saying Ciel and Sebastian had left somewhere, Ciel not wearing his usual rich attire. That raised my curiosity even further, and I took to pacing in order to keep myself calm. Finally we heard the rumble of a carriage and the whinny of horses, and I all but ran to the door. Sebastian walked in, carrying Ciel, and I noticed with shock that Sebastian's shirt at the shoulder was stained with blood and shredded. Ciel was looking off into nothing-ness, dressed like a street urchin, paler than usual. "Wh-what happened?!" I gasped out. Sebastian glanced at me and frowned.

"Well, if you're here, I suppose my master wanted you to know. Please, take him to his room?" Sebastian handed the boy to me and I marveled at how light he was. He didn't so much as react while I carried him up the stairs to his room and set him down on the bed.

"Young earl... what happened?" I asked quietly. He finally looked up at me, and I noticed his eye patch had become lopsided. I pulled it off for him, my fingers grazing his cheek. That bit of contact seemed to snap him out of his daze, and he suddenly burst into tears. I had never seen him cry before. It was surreal.

"Ma-Mad-Madame Red, m-my own aunt! Sh-she was the killer!" He sobbed. It was just one surprise after another right now.

"What? But how? She was with us at the party! She couldn't have-"

"Grell! Her st-stupid butler was-he was-"

"A demon?" I guessed, wrapping my arms around the boy's shoulders without realizing it.

"N-No. A r-reaper, a grim re-reaper. H-He-... he was helping her kill. Th-that was how they were able to k-kill that wom-woman during the party. He hel-helped her get there." It seemed he was calming down a bit. Maybe it had just been the shock of finding out his aunt was a killer. She had probably been arrested. "M-My aunt... sh-she told me that-that she was killing the women bec-because they chose to have th-their ability to have children removed when-... when she never even got the op-option. She had been pregnant on-once, and then... she lost h-her hus-husband and baby, an-and her ability to have any more children... and-and she tried to kill m-me!"

"Is that why Sebastian got hurt?" The boy nodded, and then started crying harder again.

"La-Lau, h-he killed her! When-when she wouldn't kill me, Grell ki-killed her! He killed my aunt!" My eyes widened, my blood running cold. Madame Red was...

"She's dead, Lau..." Tears distorted the boy's words as I held him. "I-I have-... I have no family left! I have n-no one!" I pet his head softly, knowing I had to calm him down. It hurt so much to see him so upset.

"Now, now, why do you say that? You have Sebastian! He's practically your father..."

"Seb-Sebastian doesn't count. He's bound by-by the contract. He HAS to take care of me."

"Well what about Elizabeth, and her family? She's your cousin, isn't she?" Ciel scoffed into my chest.

"Elizabeth does-doesn't count either..."

"Why not?" He was silent for a moment, and I guessed he was trying to stop sobbing and gasping.

"Because I hate her..." He muttered finally, giving a watery, bitter laugh. I chuckled quietly and shifted so I could pull his head up to look at me again.

"Well, you have me. I'll be any family you wish me to be, young Earl. Any at all..." Smiling down at him, I ran my palm over his cheek.

"Ran Mao too, we'll both be your family. So don't be sad. Please? I never could stand the sight of a crying young man..." Ciel paused. That was the first time I had called him anything but a child, and the meaning was not lost on him. He pushed me away suddenly. Admittedly, that was not the reaction I had been expecting.

"Why?" He demanded, no longer sad at least, but angry.

"Why- I don't understand! You have- you have absolutely NO reason to be interested in me! You learned about Sebastian! Y-You got what you wanted! And yet-yet you continue to come back! Why?! Why do you come back?!" The boy's voice grew into a distressed shout, breath coming out quickly, on the verge of hysteria. So I grabbed his wrist and yanked him down, back against me, and pressed my lips to his forehead.

"Young Earl? I hope I'm not out of line when I say this, but... Please, shut up. There's no need to throw a tantrum." I had never kissed him before, never held him like I was holding him tonight. His forehead was soft and cool, though I could feel his cheeks radiating heat. "I come back because I care about you. Yes, I started working with you merely out of curiosity, but that gave way to care before our first case together was even over. You're like... A little brother to me, young Earl, and-" I was cut off by a pair of small, soft lips pressing against mine.

"Lau... Shut up..." His voice filled my mouth, his breath tasting like mint and peaches. I knew I should have been against it. He was a child, he was my little brother, he was a he. And yet, it all felt so natural and right. After a few seconds, Ciel pulled away and glared at me. "Don't you dare call me a little brother." Stunned by what had just happened, I nodded dumbly, just staring at him. Finally my mind got working again and I reached to pull him into another kiss, but he slapped me away.

"Wha-"

"We kiss when I say we kiss. Don't think you have control just because you're older, Lau." His eyes sparkled with amusement, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Of course, my young Earl. I suppose the shock of my little brother kissing me made me forget my place as your pawn." The boy huffed and grabbed my hands, pulling them up to his shirt collar.

"Undress me. And don't you dare rip anything. I rather like these clothes."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX SEX AHEAD XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Chuckling again, I carefully untied the ribbon around his neck and started on his shirt.

"Honestly, young Earl. You Englishman wear far too much. And even when you're in nothing more than a shirt and pants, they're so hard to remove..." The boy said nothing, though when I moved to kiss his now exposed neck I once more found myself slapped away.

"No." He said as if disciplining a dog. "I give permission or you don't do it. I won't remind you again." Nodding, I resumed undressing him, making sure to do no more than that. I didn't want to lose this chance. Once his shirt was fully unbuttoned, I carefully pulled it from his pants and slipped it from his shoulders. He shifted so I could fully remove the top. Though I had seen the brand on his back once before, it was still a disturbing sight, and I had to force myself not to reach out and touch it. Instead I guided him to sit on the edge of the bed so I could pull his shoes and socks off. "Hurry up, Lau, I'm getting impatient." I heard Ciel mutter.

"I'm sorry, young Earl, I don't want to rip anything." I unbuttoned his pants and thankfully he lifted his hips so I could remove them and his underwear, which I guessed to be silk. And then Ciel was naked before me. He was slender, delicate looking, with barely defined muscles, though they were still there. Aside from the brand, there were a few fresh scars, no doubt from when that Italian kidnapped him. I had seen his bare back before, but his lower half was new to me. I spent a minute drinking in every curve, every dip. His length was appropriately sized for his age, clear of any hair, and half hard. I was eager to change that.

"What now, my young Earl?" I asked, still kneeling between his legs. He stared down at me, and then pointed to his bedside table.

"There's lotion in there. Get it." He demanded. I obediently reached into the drawer and pulled out a small bottle. Already hardening myself with anticipation, I couldn't wait until he told me to undress myself. But he didn't. Instead, he shifted so he was laying out on the bed, his head on his pillows, then lifted his legs to bed at the knees, and spread them open. "Get some lotion on your fingers. I don't think I need to tell you what to do next." That was understandable. He needed to be prepared. I had guessed from his confession of what had happened to him that he wasn't a virgin, but that was no reason to assume he would be able to take anyone without being stretched. So I squeezed some lotion out onto my fingers.

"How many?" I asked. He blinked for a moment, thinking about it.

"One. I'll tell you when to add another." Nodding, I positioned myself half over him, using my dry hand for support, and used my fingers to probe around until I found his hole. He tensed as I pushed a finger inside him.

"Does it hurt?" I asked worriedly. The boy shook his head.

"No. Bend your finger up." He ordered me. I obediently crooked my finger up and began moving it in and out, feeling around for area he no doubt wanted me to find. I kept grazing it, I knew that. Each time I pulled my finger almost out, half way he would hiss or clench around my finger. But for some reason, I couldn't quite locate it. "Oh for the love of- Lau, you're a hopeless idiot. Go slower." Ciel finally grunted out. I slowed down my withdrawal, pulling my finger back slowly. "There." He announced. "It's right there." I stopped my finger, and gave a testing push up, pleased when I saw Ciel squeeze his eyes shut.

"Indeed it is..." I hummed, starting to run my finger along his sweet spot. He was quickly hardening all the way, as was I.

"Add another finger."

"Of course, my young Earl..." Pushing a second finger inside the boy, I used both of them to rub and tickle him, and soon he was squirming and panting.

"Hah-harder. Do it harder. And faster." His hips arched up each time I ran my fingers along his walls, his length now dripping, twitching occasionally. Obeying once more, I started fingering him firmly, speeding up. Quiet moans were now escaping the boy's open mouth, his face flushed with arousal. "Third finger!" He gasped out. A third finger was worked inside him, joining my other two in pleasing his young body. "Harder!" I couldn't help but chuckle. His voice was so thick with pleasure, strained with the effort of forming words instead of just noises. It was astonishingly arousing. And then, with a cry, his body tensed and I felt his muscles clenching my fingers like a vice. Cum shot from his length, not very far, though enough to streak his stomach and the curve of his ribs. I chuckled again, continuing the movement of my fingers, happy to milk all I could out of the boy. Finally he reached and slapped my hands away again. "Go... Go get me a towel." I stood and went into his connecting bathroom, retrieving a towel for him. "Clean me off." He had caught his breath by now, though his face was still flushed. I wiped his stomach and chest clean, then his length, careful. And then I stood and grinned, eager for him to tell me I could have my turn. Instead, he eyed me and smirked. "Dress me again."

"Wait-what? But I thought-"

"I don't know how you do it in China, Lau, but in England, we don't have sex with our little brothers." Amusement dripped from his every word, and I realized he was doing it as revenge. I whined.

"But I got you off!"

"Yes, and in doing so, proved you have hands. Use them. Now dress me, or I'll call Sebastian and have him do it." For whatever reason, I felt a surge of jealousy at the thought of Sebastian seeing Ciel, MY Ciel like this. So I reluctantly began reaching for his clothes. "No. Not those. Get me my night clothing." Pouting, I searched until I found the clothes laid out on a chair, and returned to help him get dressed again.

As I slipped his shirt on him, I leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I hope you know, young Earl, you must feed your pets occasionally, or they become feral... Next time, I want a taste of you..." The boy tensed and blushed, though he said nothing.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX SEX DONE XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Once he was all dressed, I sat down beside him and pulled him in for a hug.

"Even though you are cruel, thank you. For allowing me to get so close to you, young-"

"Ciel." I paused.

"Hm?"

"When we're alone like this... You may call me Ciel. But ONLY when we're alone. Understood?" I nodded and kissed his head again.

"Of course, my dear Ciel... Now, it is late, and you have arrangements to make tomorrow... You should be getting to bed." I pulled the covers back for him and he slipped under them, allowing me to tuck him in. "Good night, Ciel. And good dreams..." As I turned to leave, his hand wrapped around my wrist.

"Stay until I fall asleep," he demanded, though I heard the hint of pleading in his voice, fear that I would refuse. I nodded.

"Of course." Though I knew he meant he wanted me at his bedside, I went around to the unoccupied side of the bed anyway, and climbed up to lay next to him, over the sheets. He didn't protest, so I began to gently play with his hair. "I meant what I said before, you know... I'll be your family... I promise you won't ever be truly alone again. If I could, I'd become a demon as well, so I could always stay by your side..." In the dimming candle light I could see Ciel's face redden. He turned to look at me, and I smiled at him, brushing hair from his face. "Purple is such a beautiful eye color... Especially on your face... Though the blue is perfect too... Like a sky right before sunset... Or a deep ocean..." The boy's face got even redder and he turned away, rolling onto his side.

"Idiot, I said stay with me, not keep I me awake with your rambling." He muttered. I chuckled and slid closer, wrapping an arm over his side to hold him against my chest. Kissing his shoulder, I sighed against the skin.

"I'm sorry... I'll be quiet now... Good night, my Ciel..." True to my word I stayed silent, and soon the boy's breathing slowed as he relaxed in my arms.

* * *

I must have fallen asleep as well, for the next thing I remember was Sebastian standing over me, eyes flashing. He carefully pried me away from Ciel and dragged me out, down the hall, and to another room, where he spun on me.

"My master is not one of your girls, I hope you are aware." He said coldly. I stepped back.

"I never thought he was. He kissed me. He took the lead, I didn't even get to do more than get him off. I promise you." The demon stepped toward me, backing me against a wall, and leaned down to stare at me. After a minute, where I swear my life flashed before my eyes, Sebastian straightened up again.

"While my master may think I only care for him under our contract, I admit he's grown on me. And I will not stand to see his heart be broken. Did you truly mean it when you said you would be his family?" I nodded.

"I did. I would happily be anything he wants me to be. And... If he wants me as more than just family..." I looked at Sebastian, locking eyes with him. "I'll fight you, and any other demon that tries to stop me." The man stood silent for a long moment.

"You are aware that, once my master completes the terms of his contract with me, I will be taking his soul, correct?" He asked slowly.

"Yes, he explained that to me. When do you think that will be?"

"I don't know. Could be months, could be years. Tomorrow even. But your affection for him won't stop me."

"I was under no impression that it would... And speaking of. My sister has grown quite fond of your friendship. It seems we both have someone we care about interested in someone we don't trust very much... Now, where is my sister? It's late, we should return home."

"I put her in your usual room. It's much too late to leave. Will you be joining her or returning to my master's room?" When he asked, I saw his eyes narrow, a silent threat not to return to Ciel's room tonight.

"He only requested I stay until he fell asleep, so I won't go back. At least not tonight." I locked eyes with the demon again, and he nodded slowly.

"If it's not too much trouble, I would like to request you accompany Ciel to his aunt's funeral." He said after a moment of silence.

"Nothing to do with Ciel is trouble." I smiled. "I'll happily go." Once more, Sebastian nodded, and then he was gone. When I got to my regular guest room, Ran Mao was awake waiting for me. I knew she was well aware what had happened. She always seemed to know what I was doing. "I know, I know. Twice his age, emotionally vulnerable, going to have his soul eaten by a demon," I muttered, waving my hand to dismiss any protests she might have. But instead of confirming that was what she was thinking, she shook her head.

"It is not that I am worried about. I remember what his aunt said. Death follows him. I am worried that his enemies will become your enemies."

"After my threat to Lord Randall, they already are my enemies." I smiled and went over to pet her head. "Don't fret, my little tigress. I have you to protect me."

"But I am no demon... I can't magically save you."

"You are better than a demon. You match Sebastian in skill, AND you don't want my soul. Besides, I'm not so defenseless myself. Please, don't worry so much. It's not healthy." Reluctantly, my sister nodded.

"Just be careful about who finds out." I chuckled as I stood to remove my changshan.

"I have no doubt that Ciel would have me killed if I mentioned our deeds. No one will find out."

* * *

I stayed at the manor with Ciel the next day. He didn't seem embarrassed with the knowledge of what we did, though he didn't talk about it. Actually, he didn't talk about much at all, too busy assisting in arrangements for his aunt's funeral. I noticed Sebastian providing Ciel with more sweets than usual, bringing him things before he asked. He was going out of his way to make things easier for the grieving Earl. The other servants were the same, staying out of trouble for once, making sure not to disturb the boy, even trying to make a nice bunch of flowers for him. When I saw this, I smiled a little. Despite what Ciel thought, he had a family. That night, I visited him before bed, sitting on the edge of the mattress.

"How are you feeling?" I asked. He looked down at his lap.

"Do you think there was anything I could have done? To... To make it end differently? Something I could have said? Maybe if I had been kinder to her... Maybe if I had-"

"Stop it." I scolded the boy. He looked up in shock. I doubt anyone had spoken to him like that since his parents died.

"Wha-"

"Thinking like this won't bring her back. Blaming yourself won't bring her back. It won't make the pain any easier." I pulled him in to hold him tight. "Ciel, listen. You act so much older than you are, but that doesn't change the fact that, at heart, you are a child. And you just lost someone you cared about. Grieving is natural, it's a process. And the first step is accepting that it wasn't your fault. You didn't put the knife in her hand, you didn't introduce her to that reaper..."

"But had I acted sooner, that woman wouldn't have been killed, and-and maybe I could have talked to her and made her just... Just stop!"

"No, you couldn't have." I said firmly. "Though, that woman being killed... That was kind of your fault." The boy looked up at me with a mixture of surprise and annoyance.

"I thought you were trying to make me feel better?"

"I am, but I also don't enjoy lying to you." The boy rolled his eyes, giving a watery laugh.

"You were doing so good too, you know?" He muttered. I grinned.

"Well let me make it up to you." Leaning down, I kissed him, pulling him against me and gently running my fingers over his spine. I held the kiss for a few seconds before pulling away and pressing our foreheads together.

"There. Do you forgive me?" I asked. The boy was blushing furiously, and after a moment pushed me away.

"I wasn't actually upset with you! And I thought I told you no doing anything unless I give permission!" Chuckling, I pinched his cheek.

"You're adorable, you really are. Now come on, Sebastian gave me a look when I came in here, and I'm afraid if I don't leave soon, he'll put some demon curse on me. Let's get you tucked in. Do you want me to stay with you until you fall asleep?" The boy rubbed his cheek and glared at me, though he nodded anyway.

"Yes. And... You... You can do it how you did last night too..." He was so cute when he was trying not to outright ask for intimacy. I let go of him and he lay down. This time I joined him beneath the covers, holding him gently, my face buried against his shoulder.

"Sebastian asked me to go with you to the funeral tomorrow... Will you be okay with that?" I muttered into his skin. He was silent for a minute, and then nodded.

"Yes. I think that would be best." I smiled and went quiet so he could get to sleep, and it wasn't long before his breathing slowed and he drifted off into dreams.

"Good night, my dear Ciel," I whispered into his ear as I climbed out of his bed. "And good dreams..."

* * *

The next day, Ciel was slow in getting out the door. He ate slowly, delayed us with various requests, and made Sebastian pick a new outfit for him twice. Finally we were in the carriage, Ciel holding a wrapped package that Sebastian had handed him before we climbed in. Ran Mao had joined Sebastian up in the driving seat, leaving Ciel and I alone. I took that opportunity to sit beside him, my arm around his shoulders. We were silent the entire ride, stopping once for Sebastian to pick up a massive bouquet of red roses. I wouldn't have been surprised to find out he had bought the entire store's supply. When we arrived at the church, I frowned.

"Will Sebastian be able to go into the church?" I asked. Ciel shook his head.

"He's not coming in. I-... I want to do this alone." I nodded and kissed his forehead.

"Of course. I'll wait out here then. Oh, wait." I adjusted his eye patch strings for him, so they properly fit his face. "There we go." The boy blushed softly.

"Thank you... For everything." He opened the package, revealing a beautiful red dress, then climbed out of the carriage and made his way into the church. I followed, noting Sebastian holding the roses still. When Ciel opened the door to the church, to my surprise, the roses turned into a bunch of petals, and a wind gusted past, sweeping them behind the boy. I watched Ciel approach his aunt's coffin, and place the dress inside. He sat at her coffin for a while. And then he stood and left without a word to anyone, climbed into the carriage, and told Sebastian we could go. I joined the boy once more.

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked. He hesitated for a moment before answering.

"Yes... I think I will be." To my surprise, as he said that, he shifted so his head was resting on my shoulder. "Stay for a few more days," he demanded. I chuckled and nodded.

"As you wish, my dear Ciel. Anything for you."


End file.
